The Average Cost of Health Care Coverage for Family

Health care costs always seem to rise and the more people you need to cover, the more expensive it is. The United States spent $2.3 trillion for health care compared with $714 billion in 1990 and $253 billion in 1980, according to The Kaiser Family Foundation. Because of these increases, family health care continues to eat of a larger and larger portion of a family's budget.

Employer Health Plan Premium Costs

• The average monthly premium for family coverage is $1,147 in 2010 or about $13,770 yearly. Covered workers pay on average 30 percent of that amount. High-deductible health plans with a savings options cost the least for a family ($12,384 a year), according to The Kaiser Family Foundation. The most expensive type of employer health insurance is a health maintenance organization ($14,125 a year), according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Company Size

• Working for a company that employs fewer than 200 people means you have a better chance of paying a lower premium for your family health care. Small companies pay $1,104 a month on average for family coverage in 2010 or $13,250. Large companies pay $1,170 a month and $14,038 a year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Location

• In 2010, family health insurance is the most expensive in the Northeast and the least expensive in the South. Family coverage in the Northeast costs $1,235 a month or $14,815 a year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Family coverage in the South costs, on average, $1,103 a month or $13,238 a year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The other two regions are the Midwest ($1,164 a month, or $13,973 a year) and the West ($1,122 a month, or $13,463 a year).

Higher Deductibles

• For 2011, it was expected that health insurance deductible for most covered employees would be $400 or more, according to Price Waterhouse Coopers. The compares with only 25 percent of workers having that high a deductible in 2008. This means that more workers have to pay more out-of-pocket costs before the benefits of the health insurance coverage begin to pay out.

Contributing Expenses

• While health insurance premiums make up a large portion of most families' health care costs, there are other contributing costs that increase a family's health care costs even more. The number of employees who have $25 co-payments jumped from 20 percent in 2004 to 33 percent in 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Out-of-pocket costs have increased for the average worker by 30 percent between 2001 and 2006, according to a Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducted the survey.