Chamber Of Commerce Tackles Spiralling Health Care Premiums

The cost of providing health insurance to employees is one of the biggest burdens for Missouri’s small and medium-sized businesses. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce is launching a new cost-management program aimed at making it more affordable for companies to offer health benefits. The program, called Chamber Care, is likened to car insurance in that lower premiums are paid to insurance companies, with the car owner – or employer, in this case – picking up the tab for small expenditures. The Chamber insists businesses will come out ahead by absorbing the costs for such things as doctor visits and prescriptions and allowing the insurance company to continue providing coverage for costly procedures. The plan calls for the companies to pay the extra costs, with no added costs for the employees. The Chamber believes the money saved by the companies can be used for raises, to hire new employees, or to buy new equipment.