Arkansas and Oklahoma Employers and Employees Share Rising Costs of Health Insurance

Both organizations and employees in Arkansas and Oklahoma are facing high costs for health insurance. According to the newly released results from the Compensation Data 2007 ñ Arkansas/Oklahoma survey, 77.5 percent of companies pay $150 to 349 monthly for each individualís health insurance premium on an employee only plan. In comparison, 58.3 percent of employers pay more than $450 on family plans. For these employers, the cost to cover a family for an entire year is over $5,400.

When examining costs on percentage plans, 57.4 percent of Arkansas and Oklahoma employers pay 70 to 89 percent of the premium on employee only plans, and 50.4 percent pay the same percentage of the premium per family. In addition, 37.7 percent of employers reported their annual deductibles were between $250 and 499 for individuals, while 62.2 percent said annual deductibles for families were more than $900.

Employee costs can also add up quickly for Arkansas and Oklahoma individuals and families. The Compensation Data - Arkansas/Oklahoma results show a great number of employees, 52.5 percent, pay $25 to 74 of their monthly premium. This translates to as much as $888 annually. Some families, 41.6 percent, pay more than $250 of their monthly premium or over $3000 per year. In the majority of plans, deductibles and/or co-insurance add to out-of-pocket costs for employees, as 88 percent of all plan types include them.

ìIndividuals often believe they are carrying the majority of health care cost increases on their own,î said Amy Kaminski, manager of marketing programs for Compdata Surveys, the nationís leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. ìHowever, in actuality, both parties are sharing the burden of increasing costs at various degrees.î

The Compensation Data - Arkansas/Oklahoma results reported 21.7 percent of organizations in both states have no waiting period for health insurance coverage, while the majority, 36.4 percent require one to 31 days of service. PPO plans are the most offered type of health insurance at 83.7 percent. They are followed by Indemnity plans at 20.9 percent and HMO at 20.2.