Burden of Health Insurance Costs Falling More Heavily on Employees

It seems as if American workers just keep getting shafted in the workplace. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Health Research and Educational Trust found that while employer contributions to health plans have been decreasing -- down 0.9% this year -- employee contributions have continued to rise astronomically. The average American worker's health care coverage contribution rose 13.7% in just this year and has risen 47% since 2005.

U.S. employers are cutting costs by continuing to shift the financial burden of health care costs onto their employees. And while it would seem that moving those additional expenses over to the workers may help companies keep some jobs in tact, added to longer hours and stagnant or lowered pay, it's still another blow to workers struggling to make ends meet.

To further cut health care costs, a steep 30% of employers this year have downgraded their benefits packages, offering more high deductible plans to employees. The Washington Post reported that "Twenty-seven percent of employees with health benefits now face annual deductibles of at least $1,000."