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Local News - Local News - January 17, 2013
Health plan costs are on the rise in the Inland Northwest
Some small concerns see double-digit rate hikes; others closer to 5 percent

By Treva Lind
Of the Journal of Business

Inland Empire Distribution Systems Inc. CEO Jim Ewers says the company with 60 employees absorbed an 8 percent increase in its health-plan costs this year, while other employers here have experienced higher rates as well.
Inland Empire Distribution Systems Inc. CEO Jim Ewers says the company with 60 employees absorbed an 8 percent increase in its health-plan costs this year, while other employers here have experienced higher rates as well.
-File photo
Health-plan costs for Spokane-area businesses are rising yet again this year, at rates that range from about 5 percent up to double-digit percentage increases, with variations mainly depending on employee numbers and plan design.

Area employers and benefit advisers describe a benefits landscape that remains in flux as the cost of health care continues to rise, combined with impacts from health care reform legislation.

"Small business groups are still getting hit hard...


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