Chicago health care costs are 3rd-highest in U.S., according to study

Families in Chicago spent the third-highest amount of money on health care in the country, according to a new report. The Milliman Medical Index, released last month, looks at medical costs for "a typical family of four" covered by employer PPO insurance plans.

The study found the average cost for a family is $16,700, an increase of 7.4 percent from 2008. In Chicago, the average yearly cost for a family a 13 percent higher than the national average, coming in at $19,008. The cost includes the price of having the insurance, as well as the cost of deductibles and co-pays.

Lorraine Mayne, one of the authors of the study, says the cost of health care, while increasing, has increased at a smaller rate for three straight years, and this year's hike is the lowest she has seen since Seattle-based Milliman began conducting the study five years ago.

"We saw that charges accounted for more of the increase this year than utilization did," she says. "We also saw that employees, as compared to employers, are bearing a large portion of the cost increase, which isn't surprising in the current economic environment."

For more, see the Chi-Town Daily News.