Truflation CPI at 3.29% today.
Whatโs behind the rise and who is feeling the squeeze?
๐โ๏ธRose from 3.02% on Saturday to 3.28% on Sunday.
The annual KFF health-insurance data update lifts the Health Care component and contributes to the overall rise. This reflects insurance-cost increases accumulated over the past year, not a sudden overnight jump in prices. KFF puts average annual premiums at $9,804 for single coverage and $28,303 for family coverage, both about 5% above last year. These totals include what employers and employees pay.
Workers are feeling a bigger squeeze than the headline premium increase suggests. Their average contribution to family coverage rose 9% to $7,471, compared with a roughly 5% rise in the total premium. That $7,471 is already part of the $28,303 total, not an extra charge on top.
Did prices jump overnight? No. KFF publishes these data annually, so the index update reflects costs accumulated over the past year, not a sudden one-day jump in premiums.
The costs are real, even though they did not appear overnight. The next question is whether other categories are also becoming more expensive, or whether the annual insurance update explains much of the increase.