Last week’s biggest economic news was that median household income is up by a surprisingly strong 5.2%. A related economic indicator released the next day attracted less attention, but should raise just as many eyebrows: employer health premiums grew at a shockingly slow pace, only up 3% last year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey. Healthcare is 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product, so unanticipated shifts in health spending have major repercussions.
