Private Sector Employee-Only Health Premium Costs in the Mid-Atlantic States

The annual cost for single premium (i.e. employee-only) health insurance coverage charged to private sector employers in the three-state Mid-Atlantic region is typically higher than in other regions of the United States. Smaller firms, with fewer than 50 employees, in New York find themselves at a particular cost disadvantage as their single premium insurance rates run, on average, more than 19% above the national average for similar-sized employers. Among large private sector employers in the region, the worst cost disparity relative to the national average cost for single premium health insurance is also in New York.  Data from the most recent Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2019), a survey administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, shows the following about private sector employee-only health premium costs in the Mid-Atlantic region and nationally:

State	(1) Small Firms	(2) Large Firms	Overall Avg.
NJ	$7,785	$7,774	$7,777
NY	$8,253	$7,798	$7,890
PA	$7,268	$7,137	$7,159
U.S.	$6,920	$6,983	$6,972

(1) fewer than 50 employees

(2) 50 or more employees

Source:  Medical Expenditure Panel Survey  Table II.C.1 - Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee at private-sector establishments that offer health insurance by firm size and State: United States, 2019