By Martha Heberlein

The good news: Premium growth in 2012 was a modest 4% by historical standards, according to the annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey. But there’s much room for progress, especially for lower-income families. Over the last decade, the average premium for family coverage has increased 80%. Premiums continue to rise faster than wages, which saw an increase of just 1.1% during the last year.

For workers whose wages have remained relatively stagnant, even a modest cost increase of coverage requires them to dig deeper into their pockets and low-wage workers are likely digging even deeper.

The survey found that workers in firms with a higher percentage of low-wage workers (where at least 35% earn $23,000 or less) contribute $1,363 more than those in firms with a lower-percentage of low-wage workers. These families end up paying a greater share (39% vs. 29%) of the cost towards family coverage, despite the fact that these firms are paying less in total premiums.

Add that to the fact that firms with many low-wage workers are also significantly less likely to offer health insurance than firms with few low-wage workers and it makes sense that employer-based coverage has declined dramatically over the last decade, especially for those who are low-income.