Employers' health care costs likely to grow 9 percent

The nation’s employers can expect health care costs to grow by 9 percent next year, according to projections of medical cost trends for 2010 by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The projected cost increase is slightly lower than the 9.2 percent increase in 2009 and 9.9 percent increase in 2008.

Growth my have slowed, but medical cost increases continue to outpace inflation and wage increases as American workers use more health care services in anticipation of losing their jobs and, potentially, their health insurance, the report suggests. Rising unemployment, growing numbers of uninsured or under-insured people and a growing percentage of the population on Medicaid further ramp up medical cost trends.

As corporate profits decline, the employers Pricewaterhouse Coopers surveyed said they will push more health insurance costs to workers in 2010 and expect workers to take more responsibility for managing their personal health.