Business
Subscriber content preview
November 20, 2009
Small firms cutting back on health plans
By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Writer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Faced with high health insurance costs, a North Carolina brokerage passed the buck on to its employees, a Texas public relations firm switched from group insurance to stipends, and a Missouri travel agency let its workers walk away instead paying for insurance.
Across the country, businesses already strapped by the economy to turn a profit are sacrificing or scaling back employee health insurance plans because of their escalating costs. The crunch has particularly socked smaller employers, who have become a centerpiece in the debate over how to overhaul the nation's health care system.
. . .
To read this story in full login or purchase a subscription.