Study Finds Teacher Healthcare Pricey

Will the findings from this study on health care point to teacher union influence in health care prices?   The report should be an enlightening one.
UPI.com has the preliminary story. 

Health insurance costs for U.S. teachers, a strongly unionized profession, are significantly higher than those in private sector jobs, an academic study found.

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, education reform and economics Professor Robert Costrell and doctoral fellow Jeffery Dean, both at the University of Arkansas, found average healthcare costs of $8,559 for teachers versus $6,803 for private sector employees, unadjusted.

However, “when adjusted for higher participation rates in healthcare plans among teachers versus private-sector professionals, the costs are 16 percent higher for teachers — $9,838 versus $8,490 in the private sector,” the study found.

Calling the state a “natural experiment in changing teacher union strength,” the authors said health insurance costs dropped sharply after Act 10 became law.