According to the 2008 Iowa Employer Benefits Study, health insurance premiums in Iowa increased 8.8 percent from 2007 to 2008.

The study, which has been conducted for 10 consecutive years by David P. Lind & Associates LC of Clive, found that since 1999, premiums for single coverage have increased by 107 percent and family premiums have increased by 109 percent.

For Iowans, the average monthly premiums for all medical plans offered by their employers (HMO, PPO, Traditional Indemnity and Consumer Driven Health Plans) were $356 for single coverage and $960 for family coverage. On average, the portion of the premium paid by the employee was $62 a month for single coverage and $306 a month for family coverage.

This increase in premiums has resulted in the employees paying nearly 68 percent more during the past 10 years for single coverage, and 73 percent more for family coverage.

And as health-care costs increase, employers are forced to find other approaches to contain health insurance costs, usually by increasing deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses or increased co-payments. This has resulted in substantial shifts in deductibles that have increased the average single deductible for PPO plans 229 percent from 2000 to 2008.

In 2000, the average single deductible for PPO plans was $280, compared with $920 today. The average family deductible in 2000 was $599 compared with $1,924 today, an increase of 221 percent.