Database compares health coverage costs

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Consumers, companies and analysts can compare health coverage costs in the largest U.S. metro areas using a new database developed by the U.S. government.

The data bank, developed by the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides statistics on average annual costs for companies and workers contributing to private-sector health insurance, the agency said.

The estimates, which draw from AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey for 2004, show geographical variations in how much Americans pay for family coverage and individual coverage as well as how much employers contribute to workers' health insurance premiums.

"We already know that the quality of healthcare can vary significantly according to geography," AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy said. "These new data highlight local cost variations and may help employers make annual benefit plan decisions."

For family health insurance plans, for example, Seattle workers contributed the most, averaging $3,299 per year, while New York City-area workers contributed the least, paying about $1,851 per year.

The database includes comparisons for different regions within states, Clancy said.