2006 KFF-HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey: Health inflation lower, but worries grow over...

This year showed the slowest rate of group health care premium growth since 2000, which is music to the ears of HR professionals. However, the tune remains discordant, because premiums still increased more than twice as fast as workers' wages (3.8%) and overall inflation (3.5%), according to the annual survey of employer health benefits from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust.

Health care premiums grew 7.7% this year, down from 9.2% last year. Competition among insurers contributed to that national trend, with insurers trimming pre