Health insurance is bargain for Utahns

Utah health-care consumers pay less for health insurance than the rest of the nation, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Its Statehealthfacts.org report found that the average health-care premium nationally for a single person was $3,705, while in Utah it was $3,034. Alaskans pay the most, at $4,379 each.

Single-plus-one premiums averaged $7,056, but in Utah, premiums were about $1,000 less, again ranking as the state with the lowest premiums.

Utah insurance costs were only slightly above North Dakota, Arkansas and Hawaii in family premiums, despite large family sizes. Utahns paid a family premium of $8,654, compared to the national average of $10,006.

"This data substantiates what other recent studies have indicated — that Utah health care, when translated into an insurance premium, is an excellent value compared to the rest of the nation," said Eliana White, president of the Utah Health Insurance Association, in a press release touting the report.

The premiums were based on 2004 data, the most recent available.