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Health premiums grew at slow rate

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Cost containment and quality improvements helped slow down health insurance premium rate growth in the United States, a trade association said.

The federal government released data which reported health insurance premiums grew at a rate of 5.5 percent in 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available, marking the slowest rate of growth since 1997.

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"Health insurance premiums grew at the lowest rate in a decade due to the cost containment and quality improvement activities implemented by health insurance plans," Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, said in a news release.

Health insurance plans also are making progress in making better use of healthcare dollars, she said, "as evidence by the smaller increase in out-of pocket and administrative costs compared to the increase in total health spending."

The national trade association represents nearly 1,300 companies providing health insurance coverage.

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