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Article: Sole props angry about Blues' 15% surcharge.
- Article from:
- Crain's Detroit Business
- Article date:
- October 16, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Sole proprietors, who locally tend to buy their health insurance through trade associations, are up in arms about a 15 percent surcharge that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan is levying next year on their premiums.
The surcharge will about double next year's increase to 30 percent for these small-business and shop owners already reeling from average premium hikes of 25 percent in 2000 and 16 percent in 1999.
``Our phones are ringing off the hook,'' said Edward Deeb, who directs two Warren-based business associations that offer group insurance and other services to sole proprietorships and small businesses.
In a letter to sole-prop ...