Battling Rising Health Care Costs

“If America is going to resolve the healthcare crisis, it will take all hands on deck,” said Milan P. Yager, executive vice president of the trade association. “The small business owners and operators – working with their PEOs – are champions of healthcare options that match today’s workforce.  Employers and employees both want the freedom to do so without government telling them how much and how long.  That’s the essence of a free market solution.”

NAPEO’s (our industry association) first quarterly survey of small businesses found that:

• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the respondents said state and local governments should not require employers to provide health benefits. 
• The vast majority (95%) of the companies responding offer healthcare plans and will not raise employees’ share of the cost of their health benefits in 2007. 
• A majority of the business owners who responded blamed insurance companies (69%) and malpractice suits (71%) for rising health costs.
• More than half (55%) said their employees are interested in wellness and prevention programs. 
• Most small business owners in the survey (91%) said salary is the most important attraction for recruiting talent, but seven in 10 said a healthcare plan is also very important.

Read the full NAPEO Survey Report.