The growing trend of high-deductible health plans for employee health coverage could be a troubling sign that the quality of coverage through employers is declining.

The days of 100% health insurance coverage by employers are long gone. Employees all over the nation contribute nearly 20% to their employer-sponsored health care packages. For those employees who currently complain about the amount of their health care contributions, brace yourselves. Your employer may be looking to grab a higher-deductible health insurance option as a means for them to save a few dollars in a still-struggling economy.

A little high-deductible health plan history

Higher deductibles aren’t a new thing. Since 2003, high-deductible health plans have been working their way into the health care industry. Most have an average deductible rate of $1,200.00 for individuals and $2,400.00 for a family plan. The logic behind the high deductible is that it is supposed to serve as an incentive for people to make wiser choices for their individual health needs, and not run to the emergency room for every little ache of pain. For employers, the higher deductible rates mean lower premium costs, and this reasoning is catching on.

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If you’re anything like me, and many other HBO-loving Americans, you have seen a few episodes of “The Sopranos.” Ok, if you’re anything like me you’ve sat down and watched marathons of the show on DVD for weeks at a time, but that’s besides the point. There are a few of the mobster’s mothers who have to be cared for in assisted living and nursing home, and they are not shy about mentioning how much that type of care is costing them to pay for. Even if you’ve never seen a minute of this show and don’t have anyone in your life who needs long term care, it can’t be hard to imagine that it costs an arm and a leg.

Factor in the cost of the room combined with availability of medical services and round-the-clock attention and you can understand why a year’s worth of care in a private room back in 2007 cost $74,806. If you are looking into long term care insurance to help cover these astronomical costs for a member of your family, there are a lot of things to know and consider.

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