Saturday, October 18, 2008

Californians' health premiums rise 5 times faster than pay

The Sacremento Bee reports

In California from 2000 to 2007, annual premiums rose from $6,227 to $12,194. During that same period, the median pay went from $25,740 to $30,702.

About 6.6 million are medically uninsured in California.

On average nationally, health premiums rose 78 percent, lower than California's rate, during the seven-year period. However, earnings in California outpaced the rest of the country, which saw wages rise by 14.5 percent.

What is clear is that health care is becoming less and less affordable," said Anthony Wright, executive director of Oakland-based Health Access California

The system is broken and needs to be fixed," said Wright, who called for greater oversight of the insurance industry.

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