Small Business Health Plans：Taking Care of Small Business Owners and Their Employees 怎样照顾小生意雇主和他们的雇员的医疗问题(美国)
Executive Summary
Recent increases in health care premiums have far outpaced the rate of inflation and the increase in employee wages. Since 2000, premiums for family coverage have increased by 73 percent, while inflation has increased by 14 percent and wages by 15 percent.
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As a likely response to the explosive growth in health insurance premiums, the percentage of all employers offering health insurance to their employees during the last five years has dropped from 69 to just 60 percent.
Small businesses employ nearly two-thirds of the working uninsured population, and so it makes the most sense for Congress to enact S. 1955 to create a more competitive marketplace so these owners and their employees can secure the health care coverage they deserve.
The Effects of Rising Health Care Costs
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance (for large and small employers) rose by 9.2 percent between spring 2004 and spring 2005.
Mandatory spending is benefit spending required by law and includes employer contributions to Medicare, Social Security, and workers’ compensation. Voluntary spending includes health insurance and retirement health benefits. 美国法律规定了雇主要给雇员买老人医疗保险，社安(退休)保险和工伤险。雇主可以自愿给雇员买医疗保险和退休医疗福利。(不强迫雇主买)
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Rising Health Care Costs Especially Hurt Small Business Owners(过快)升高的医疗费用对小生意雇主打击特别大
The situation is more dire for small business owners and their employees. All cost increases hit small business owners particularly hard, due in part to their smaller profit margins. For health care costs, this is compounded by the fact that it costs small business owners more than their counterparts in larger companies to provide health benefits to their employees, due to economies of scale. In January 2003, the federal Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy reported that administrative expenses for insurers of small health plans account for as much as 33 to 37 percent of claims.
For large companies’ insurers, administrative expenses comprise only about 5 to 11 percent of claims. Meanwhile, according to the Small Business Administration, small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employers in the United States and employ half of all private-sector employees.
Small businesses have generated between 60 and 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade.
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With small businesses having such a strong presence in the marketplace, it would make sense for Congress to work toward providing small business owners relief from this growing problem.
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a small business advocacy group, reports that 27 million working people are uninsured, and that 63 percent of them are either self-employed or work for a small business.
If health care costs continue to rise, more small business owners may need to discontinue health benefits, and more small business employees may find themselves among the ranks of the uninsured.如果医疗费继续升高，就会有更多的小生意雇主停付雇员的医疗费用
In October 2005, the National Small Business Association (NSBA), another small business advocate, conducted a study of its members on the health care benefits they provide for their employees. The results were telling: 51 percent of NSBA’s members reported that they are considering making changes to their employee health benefits plans in the upcoming year, and 66 percent of those members are considering decreasing employee benefits or increasing the employee share of premiums.<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"></script> (王澄)作者: Israel 时间: 06-9-23 22:55
我觉得这篇文章仍然见识片面，不够深入，很多东西选择性取舍，似乎有倾向～～～～作者: 长风 时间: 06-10-3 18:11
谈到了一定的事实，但是的确在走向另一个极端～
不知此文在本论坛有何意义～？