Survey of Business Owners Says Health-Care Costs is Top Concern

Rising fuel and energy costs rank second only to health-care costs among problems facing small-business owners, according to a new survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. According to the Small Business Problems and Priorities survey, 42.3 percent of small-business owners nationwide rank the cost of natural gas, propane, gasoline, diesel and fuel oil as a “critical” concern, up from 26.1 percent in the previous 2004 survey. Both surveys rank health-insurance costs as the number one issue facing small-business owners.

Source: National Federation of Independent Business