Wisconsin Employee Health Care Costs: 2008 Data & Trends

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average cost of health insurance in Wisconsin was $4,477 for employer-sponsored coverage of a single person and $12,956 for family coverage in 2008. Those figures are the cost of the premium, with employers splitting the tab in many cases.

Employer Costs

• The same pills may cost more next year.

  The average cost to employers was $3,708 for single coverage in 2008 and $9,655 for family coverage. About 10 percent of employers paid less than $2,100 for single coverage, half paid less than $3,600 and 90 percent paid less than $5,400 for single coverage in 2008. For family coverage, 10 percent paid less than $5,100, half paid less than $9,800 and 90 percent paid less than $14,000.

Employee Costs

• Having a family can get expensive when it comes to health insurance.

  The average cost for employees for single coverage was $1,069. About 10 percent of employees paid nothing, while half paid less than $980 and 90 percent paid less than $2,100 for single coverage. For families, the average cost to the employee was $3,300. About 10 percent contributed nothing, while half paid less than $3,000 and 90 percent paid less than $6,000.

How Wisconsin Stacks Up

• Wisconsin residents pay slightly more than the national average. The average cost for single coverage in the United States rose from $3,705 to $4,357 between 2004 and 2007. In Wisconsin, rates for single coverage rose from $3,921 to $4,628. For family coverage, the national average rose from $10,006 to $11,768 in the same time period. In Wisconsin, rates rose from $10,146 to $11,933.