The majority of business healthcare costs are incurred by private employer-sponsored insurance. Efforts to shift more of these costs to workers through increased premium cost-sharing and higher deductibles have yet to be successful so far.
Small firms also need help offering health coverage because they need more resources to administer these programs. The ACA’s establishment of individual health insurance exchanges and the availability of premium subsidies for low-income individuals should address these issues.
Increased Employee Turnover
Employee turnover is a serious issue for small businesses because finding, interviewing, and training new employees takes time and money. In addition, a high turnover rate can also lead to a loss in productivity and morale. If you have a high turnover rate, it may be time to look closely at the problem and make changes.
The good news is that the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the trend of people voluntarily leaving their jobs, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t still happening. There are many reasons that employees leave their jobs, including lack of career development, work-life balance issues, and management behavior.
Rising US employer health care costs are also a major reason employees leave their companies. Healthcare premium increases force employers to increase wages, reduce benefits, or cut back on worker health coverage. In many cases, the only way that small businesses can keep their employees is to offer a competitive health care package.
Some of the proposals for healthcare reform, such as the creation of insurance exchanges, could help alleviate some of the burden of rising healthcare premiums on small businesses. This would allow employees to choose a plan that suits their needs and budget while providing access to affordable health care for the lowest-income workers.
Increased Health Care Costs
Any competitive employee benefits package must include inexpensive health insurance for employees. Small enterprises, however, find it challenging to offer their staff the necessary and desired health care due to escalating expenses. 98% of NFIB members who offer health insurance say they anticipate the cost to rise to an unaffordable level during the next five to ten years.
The primary driver of health care costs is the treatment of expensive diseases and disorders – many of which are caused by lifestyle-related factors and can be prevented or mitigated through changes in diet and exercise. Some leading causes of disease and disorder include coronary artery disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, asthma, accidents, diabetes, depression, and other behavioral health conditions.
These costs are also exacerbated by inflation in the supply chain. As a result, the current healthcare cost trend is expected to continue through 2022.
As a result, more small businesses will be unable to afford to offer health insurance in the future. The current situation threatens the ability of small businesses to create jobs and is a serious concern for the nation’s economy. Many small business owners have already taken a hit on their bottom line to pay for increased health care premium increases.
Increased Worker’s Compensation Costs
When an employee is hurt at work, workers’ compensation covers their medical expenses and a percentage of their lost income. Higher workers’ compensation expenditures for small enterprises might result in sharply lower earnings and less cash available to purchase new machinery or other prospects for expansion.
To cope with these rising premiums, many small employers have shifted some of the cost to their employees through increased employee share of premiums and higher deductibles. However, these efforts have had little impact on overall business healthcare spending, and the rate at which workers’ compensation costs increase has been greater for smaller firms than for larger ones.
Because small businesses are less likely than large corporations to pass added expenses onto their customers, increased workers’ compensation costs can have a negative effect on sales and revenue. In addition, workers’ compensation rates are based on an employer’s industry and the number of previous work-related claims, which can vary significantly between businesses.
Increased Legal Costs
More small-business owners and employees now access cheap, all-inclusive health insurance thanks to the ACA’s markets and Medicaid expansion. As a result, after the ACA, the share of uninsured employees decreased by over 10 percentage points. In addition, the ACA has assisted many small firms that offer coverage in stabilizing health expenses; since the law’s introduction, the average premium rise has decreased by 50%.
However, the ACA does not eliminate legal risk for small-business owners, as numerous studies point to the continued prevalence of legal issues that firms of all sizes face.
In addition to battling increased healthcare costs, small-business owners must contend with an entrenched regulatory environment. Federal regulations are estimated to cost the economy as much as $1.9 trillion annually in direct costs, lost productivity, and higher prices. In fact, for every law Congress passes, federal agencies publish 16 final rules.
These added charges may significantly impact the productivity and growth of the company. For instance, the expense of adhering to environmental regulations and acquiring licenses and permissions can take money away from product development and other expenditures. Additionally, the possibility of being sued can damage a company’s brand and result in costly legal disputes.
