Article: Steep Rise Predicted In Health Benefit Costs; Survey Shows Workers Will Feel the Pinch

The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance benefits will rise 11 percent next year and many employers say they will pass on more of the expense to workers, according to a national survey of employers to be released today.

Two out of five employers plan to deduct more money from employees' paychecks for health benefits next year, the survey of 3,326 companies by William M. Mercer Inc., a New York-based consulting firm, found. Last year, one in five employers said they would increase employee health insurance payments.

"You know, last year the economy was good, the labor markets tight, and the employers wanted to try to absorb the cost increases because they felt like it was a competitive ...

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