From today's LA Times

  A study comparing prices for hospital stays, physician office  visits, drugs and other medical procedures in developed  countries shows U.S. prices among the most expensive. 

Scott Hauge, president of the San Francisco-based Small Business Coalition, told coalition members this  week that the survey and other indicators of growing medical costs are "not good news for small  businesses that are struggling to continue to provide health insurance and why health insurance access  and cost is the number one issue again for small businesses in our survey."

This is one of the main reasons  we need a single payer system!  We spend more and get less than any other wealthy nation in the world.  It hurts our citizens and it hurts our businesses.  It only benefits the insurance industry at the expense of the rest of the nation.