Survey reveals Employer family health premiums rise 4% to $17,545 in 2015.

Single and family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose an average of 4% in 2015, according to the recently released Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust

This annual survey, now in its 17th year, of nearly 2,000 small and large employers provides a detailed snapshot of trends in employer-sponsored health insurance, costs, and coverage—including employers’ responses to provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

The average annual premium for single coverage is $6,251, of which workers on average pay $1,071. The average family premium is $17,545, with workers on average contributing $4,955.

The survey also finds that 81% of covered workers are in plans with a general annual deductible, which average $1,318 for single coverage this year. Covered workers in smaller firms (three to 199 workers) face an average deductible of $1,836 this year. That’s 66% more than the $1,105 average deductible facing covered workers at large firms (at least 200 workers).

Since 2010, both the share of workers with deductibles and the size of those deductibles have increased sharply. These two trends together result in a 67% increase in deductibles since 2010, much faster than the rise in single premiums (24%) and about seven times the rise in workers’ wages (10%) and general inflation (9%).

“With deductibles rising so much faster than premiums and wages, it’s no surprise that consumers have not felt the slowdown in health spending,” foundation president and CEO Drew Altman says.

“Employees are benefiting from stable employer health benefits coverage and modest premium growth,” says Maulik Joshi, president of HRET, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association. “Also noteworthy is that many employers are tying financial incentives to employee participation in health and wellness programs.”