News For: total health caWorkers pay more, get less in health benefits American workers are paying more for their employer-backed health insurance and getting skimpier benefits - a troubling trend that authors of a new study say offsets a moderation in premium increases. Health insurance premiums rose a modest 5 percent this... Health insurance costs grow 5% in '08 Health insurance premiums rose a modest 5% this year for coverage that's getting skimpier, researchers say. Health-care costs to rise in '09 Get ready to add ''health care'' to the list of things that probably will cost you more next year. A national survey released Wednesday reveals that 40 percent of companies say they're ''very likely'' or ''somewhat likely'' to increase the amount employees pay for their health insurance in 2009. German Health Workers Protest Lack of Funds in Berlin (Update1) Sept. 25 -- Thousands of German health-care workers staged the industry's biggest-ever protest today in Berlin, denouncing what they call inadequate funding from the government for increasingly costly medical care. German Health-Care Workers Take to Berlin Streets in Protest Sept. 25 -- German health-care workers are staging their biggest-ever protest today in Berlin, denouncing what they call inadequate funding from the government for increasingly costly medical care. Health insurance premiums outpace wages Premiums for employer-based health insurance in North Carolina rose 5.3 times faster than wages over the past eight years, according to a report released Wednesday. S.C. figures were slightly worse ��� insurance premiums there rose 5.7 times faster than median family earnings from 2000 to 2007. The Carolinas followed a nationwide trend, according to the report by Families USA, a Washington-based ... Mental health groups make final push for parity Many people battling addiction or suffering from mental health problems could get better health insurance coverage under legislation that has widespread, bipartisan support but still faces some hurdles before getting to President Bush for his signature. Farm, Ranch Families Struggle With Rising Health Care Costs WASHINGTON ��� America���s farm and ranch families are paying top dollar for health insurance that inadequately covers their needs and causes them significant financial risk, according to a report released today from The Access Project and sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Report details problems with health Down East With a total population of about 33,300, Washington County accounts for only 2.5 percent of the population of Maine. Yet that population is the oldest and poorest in the state with the highest rates of teen and adult smoking, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Health Care Costs Increase Strain, Studies Find As Washington debates the best way to avert an economic meltdown, increasing numbers of Americans are struggling with another financial crisis: the growing burden of unpaid medical bills. |

