The average cost of a U.S. employer paid family health care plan has increased by 5% in the last year.

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust says that the cost of the average employer provided family health care plan is now $13,375 per employee, an increase of 5% from 2008. 

The increase is less than earlier years, but inflation was minus .7% over the same period. 

The survey of 2,000 companies found that 40% of employers are likely to pass some of that increase on to employees, by increasing the amount that their employees pay for visits to doctors, and for prescription drugs. 

9% of employers said they would make the eligibility conditions for health care cover tighter and 8% said they would stop providing health care cover completely. 

A separate survey of 1,250 in July reported that now people are more concerned about not being able to afford medical treatment than about meeting mortgage payments or losing their job. 

Many large health insurers anticipate a 10% premium increase in the next year. Premiums are now double what they were a decade ago. 

The Business Roundtable, an organisation of C.E.O.s of large U.S. companies, anticipates premiums will increase to about $29,000 per employee over the next 10 years. 

As the President pushes for health care reform, the various special interest groups are exerting political pressure on legislators to satisfy to their individual agendas. 

Small U.S. businesses are the hardest hit by health care cost increases, with the least capacity to pay. 

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Monte Huebsch, CEO.