Nevada insurance costs jump
RENO -- A new report shows health insurance premiums for Nevada families are going up more than twice as fast as earnings.
The report by Families USA says that from 2000 to 2007, median earnings in Nevada rose 21.4 percent, from $25,411 to $30,859. During the same period, health care premiums for families rose by 54.6 percent, from $6,688 to $10,341.
The report also says that although Nevadans are paying more for health care, the amount of coverage is decreasing.
The group's executive director, Ron Pollack, says that skyrocketing health care costs were a problem in Nevada even before the current economic downturn. He says slow wage growth and additional job losses will only make matters worse.
