September 25, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employee contributions for medical insurance in 2003

In March 2003, employee contributions to medical care premiums averaged $60.24 per month for single coverage; for family coverage, employee contributions averaged $228.98 per month. Since 1992-3, the average monthly contribution required of employees has risen about 75 percent for both single and family coverage.

[Chart data—TXT]

Workers in establishments with 100 or more employees paid less for their medical insurance than did workers in establishments with fewer than 100 employees. This was true for both single and family coverage.

At the larger establishments, the average monthly contribution was $56.03 for single coverage and $204.52 for family coverage. At the smaller establishments, contributions for single and family coverage averaged $66.63 and $263.24, respectively.

These data are from the BLS National Compensation Survey program. Data in this article are for workers in private industry. Learn more in Employee Benefits in Private Industry, 2003 (PDF) (TXT), USDL 03-489.