A new study says while Utah workers saw their earnings increase by an average of 17.2 percent over the past eight years, their health insurance premiums jumped five times that much.

The average Utahn paid $2,771 in family coverage premiums in 2007 -- a 91.9 percent rise over 2000 levels, according to the report from nonprofit advocacy group Families USA. In the same time, employers' share of premiums rose 82.5 percent to $4,681. Meanwhile, the average worker's earnings -- what showed up on their paycheck -- grew tepidly by comparison, from $21,497 to $25,205.

The findings bode even worse when you adjust workers' earnings for inflation, suggesting people actually have less buying power than they did eight years ago. Nationally, workers' purchasing power declined from $29,303 in 2000 to $27,239 in 2006 when inflation is factored in.

Elizabeth Garbe, coverage initiatives director for the Utah Health Policy Project, said state experts are working on "cost containment" measures to stop the bleeding, but solutions will take time. Under House Bill 133 passed by the state Legislature in the spring, the Health Systems Reform Task Force was created to build plans for systemwide reform. Where cost-cutting is concerned, plans include minimizing duplicate procedures and simplifying administrative work among providers and hospitals, she said.

The task force's plans will be presented to the Legislature's Business and Labor Interim Committee by the end of November -- but it could be a while before the pressure on residents' bank accounts is relieved, she said.

"Obviously with some of the cost containment measures, you can see some of the savings quickly," she said. "Others will be more of an investment that we'll see down the road."

Premiums for individual plans also outpaced earnings three times over. The average individual premiums rose to $878 in 2007, a 51-percent increase over 2000. In that same time, the employer's share jumped 60 percent to $3,206.

State Health Department numbers indicate 287,200 Utahns -- about one in 10 -- do not have health insurance. The state created Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance in November 2006 to address the problem by helping lower-income residents pay for their employer's health plans.

There is no data to suggest more people have been looking for help as premium prices have risen, said UPP spokeswoman Kolbi Young. As of Monday, 578 people across the state were signed up for the program, which is funded for 1,000 adults. But part of the problem may just be the lack of awareness that help is out there, Young said.

"There is obviously room to grow," she said.

As of Oct. 1, UPP was expanded to provide funding to people who don't have access to employer-sponsored health care plans. Because many smaller businesses can't afford to offer health insurance, the state is now making the program available to those seeking coverage through a private plan.

Adults making less than $2,650 per month before taxes could be eligible for up to $150 a month in UPP assistance. For more information, visit http://health.utah.gov/upp or call 888-222-2542.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.