Small businesses struggle with rising health insurance

Is this working it's way to slowly becoming a thing of the past...the increases just keep coming for companies and individuals...BD 

John Covington, owner of Chesapeake Consulting in Severna Park, is so fed up with higher health care costs he said he may move his firm to Alabama where doing business is cheaper. This summer, the company was faced with a 22 percent increase in monthly premiums. Mr. Covington switched to a higher deductible plan to soften the blow, but the pinch of soaring insurance costs year after year has forced him to now hire employees who get benefits through their spouse over ones who can't.

Liz Judy, company controller for Chesapeake Consulting, said her company began offering tax-free health savings accounts to employees last year and expected the program to trim costs.
But this summer, Ms. Judy found the company's health insurance carrier would raise monthly premiums.

"The HMO premiums are really very, very high," she said. "I remember thinking I'm really going to have to go shopping again for this. That's a huge increase."

Small businesses struggle with rising health insurance | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)