November 5, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employer shares of medical plan premiums, March 2008

Employers pay a higher percentage of the total premium for medical plans for employees with single coverage than for employees with family coverage.

[Chart data—TXT]

In private industry, employers paid an average of 81 percent of the total premium for single coverage and 71 percent for family coverage in March 2008.

State and local government employers paid 90 percent of the premium for single coverage and 73 percent for family coverage.

The average monthly employer premium in private industry for single coverage was $309.03 and for family coverage was $708.83. In State and local government, the average monthly employer premium for single coverage was $399.86 and for family coverage was $794.72.

These data are from the BLS National Compensation Survey program. Learn more about health care benefits in "Program Perspectives on Health Benefits" (PDF), October 2008.