A new study shows a disturbing health care trend, which spiked in Virginia last year, and it's only getting worse.

A Families USA report released Tuesday shows higher health care costs and slow wage growth mean more people are living uninsured. There are about one million people currently living without coverage in Virginia, which is about 16 percent of the population, not counting the elderly.

Virginia was traditionally well below the national average in terms of the uninsured population but that changed last year. For those who were insured, health care premiums grew 82.5 percent from 2000-2007.

"Insurance premiums are skyrocketing," says Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack. "Secondly, the portion of premiums paid by workers is increasing faster than what employers are paying and third, the employers' portion is increasing rather substantially."

Pollack says if employers are forced to pay more, employees are less likely to get wage increases.

The average Virginian made $31,800 in 2007. Last year, earnings rose 20.2 percent in Virginia but Pollack thinks that may change in 2008.