Small business owners face sky-high increases in health care

Wednesday is the day people all across the country can begin to enroll in the health care marketplace, but options are diminishing in the Ozarks, and prices are on the increase.

"Yes, 30.3 percent to be exact," said Brad Schrock, the owner of Kitchenland in Nixa, Mo.

Crunching the numbers is part of every small business, including Kitchenland, where Schrock's health care costs have gone up double digits four consecutive years as he struggles to provide coverage for seven employees.

"I've been there when you're worried about how you're going to pay the bills when your family's sick, and that's the last thing I want them to be worried about. I want them to be focused on working for me and feel like they're being taken care of," Schrock said.

Health insurance brokers said rates are up across the board making options through the exchange very limited for the Ozarks. Group plans for small businesses like are up 15 to 35 percent compared to just one year ago, creating a frustrating situation for employers.

"It's not about us as individuals. It's about whether the democrats or republicans get credit, and I don't care. I want to have good health care for my employees," Schrock said.

Some insurance providers have pulled out of the Missouri health insurance exchange altogether, while others, like Anthem, have dropped certain counties, including both Greene and Christian counties this year.