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Article: Health care costs 'tug-o-war'
- Article from:
- Colorado Springs Business Journal
- Article date:
- June 26, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 Colorado Springs Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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American workers -- fearful of losing their jobs -- are driving
up health care costs.
A study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers predicts a 9 percent increase
in health care costs nationally during 2010, slightly less than the
9.2 percent increase during 2009 and the 9.9 percent during 2008.
Despite the recent economic contraction, health care costs
continue to outstrip both inflation and wage increases.
"People are using their health insurance now, because they think
they might lose their jobs later," said Steve Berkshire, professor
of health administration at Central Michigan University. "And people
who have already lost their jobs are putting things off for too long
-- and something that could be ...