In a sign that people were struggling well in advance of the current economic crisis, a report released Wednesday found healthcare premiums in Florida climbed 3.6 times faster than workers' earnings over seven years.

Families USA, a national organization for healthcare consumers, reported that from 2000 to 2007, total premiums per worker in employer-based coverage increased 72 percent, from $6,812 to $11,720.

The worker's share of that climbed 94 percent -- from $1,969 to $3,821 per year.

Meanwhile, a Florida worker's earnings increased only 20.2 percent over the seven years, the study found.

Those numbers are the reason why many people are listing affordability of healthcare as one of the top concerns for the 2008 election, Ron Pollack, head of Families USA, said in a conference call.

''What's surprising is that these premiums purchased thinner coverage,'' said Pollack.

``So Florida families are paying more and more and receiving less and less.''

The recent downslide in the economy -- squeezing employers and throwing more people out of work -- makes ''a bad situation worse,'' Pollack said.

As premiums go up, growing numbers of people decide they can't afford coverage and join the ranks of the uninsured, which now number about 3.7 million people in the state -- or about one in every four under the age of 65.

Bowen Richards, an electrician from Cocoa, said on the conference call that his healthcare expenses are driving him toward bankruptcy.

Richards once faced insurance premiums that were more than his mortgage -- completely unaffordable. That meant he avoided getting care, he said.

When he finally went to the hospital, he found that his diabetes had worsened. He had circulation and kidney problems that resulted in the amputation of two toes.

''I had three trips to the hospital and lost six months of work,'' Richards said. ''I'm at the point where I'm completely financially ruined,'' with more than $50,000 in debt. He's ''trading out'' his electrical services with a lawyer, who in turn will help him file for bankruptcy, he said.

Pollack said the Florida increases were slightly below the national average of 78.3 percent increase in premiums over seven years, with a 14.5 percent increase in pay during that period.

The survey found that the state where healthcare premiums rose the slowest was Nevada -- where they went up 2.5 times faster than earnings.

The worst state was Michigan, hard hit by the crumbling auto industry, where premiums have risen 17.1 times faster than earnings over seven years, Pollack said.

The survey showed overall costs for the state of Florida. Studies by the Dartmouth Atlas and others have shown that healthcare costs in South Florida are considerably higher than other places in the state.

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