Average annual premiums for 2009 are on the rise, but, bucking a long-standing trend, premiums for single coverage showed only a slight increase over 2008. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's annual national survey, conducted jointly with the Health Research & Educational Trust, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored health insurance is $4,824 for single coverage. The average premium for family coverage is $13,375, a 5 percent increase over last year, but there was no statistically significant growth in single coverage, the survey found.

The amount employees contribute to their premiums seems to have changed little, as well. Average annual worker contributions for single and family coverage are $779 and $3,515, respectively, the study authors write, which are not significantly different from the amounts reported in 2008. On average, workers with family coverage contribute 27 percent of the total premium, compared with 17 percent of the premium paid by workers with single coverage.