The growth of health insurance premiums in the United States was significantly slower this year than in much of the past decade but remained higher than inflation and the growth of worker wages, according to a survey of 2,121 employers in early 2012.

The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust, which conduct the annual survey, found that overall premium costs and the amount paid by employees about doubled in the past 10 years. But premiums for family plans increased by 4 percent this year, compared with double-digit increases a decade ago.