The “Cost of Health Insurance” continues as the number one small-business problem, a posi- tion it has held for 25 years. The number one ranking is reflected in all but nine of the 50 sub-categories of businesses analyzed in this survey. Four of the nine defectors, including agriculture and transportation/warehousing, rank Energy Costs, except Electricity as their number one problem. The percent of small-business owners who cite the “Cost of Health Insurance” as critical fell slightly from 56 percent in 2008 to 52 percent in 2012. In 2004, this figure reached 66 percent during the height of yearly premium increases. But.
