Price of health coverage rises 4.3 times faster than earnings

Kevin Landrigan writes in the Nashua Telegraph on federal studies showing health insurance premiums sky-rocketing in the Granite State.

The sources for both studies, the left-leaning Families USA and the Obama administration, used the results to promote pending legislation in Congress to offer universal health care coverage.

"Our findings are clear. Health coverage is suddenly becoming too costly for New Hampshire's working families,'' the Families USA report concluded.

Average, annual premiums rose 92 percent to $14,448 last year compared to $7,525 in 2000.

Meanwhile, wages during the same period of the Families USA study rose only 21 percent to $33,003 up from $27,226.

The New Hampshire Legislature last year dramatically increased its interference in the health insurance market, creating a "public option" style plan written by state bureaucrats, and increasing mandated coverage requirements. Not surprisingly, premiums went up dramatically. Now, the same advocates who drove prices sky-high are calling on even greater government intervention to bring them down.