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If there is one good thing you can say about health care today, it is that the level of cost increase between 2002 and 2005 shrunk by 36%. The increase between 2005 and 2006 is projected to be about 8.8%. Compared to other years, that's not bad.

Yet, despite this lower increase, the discussion of health care costs seems to be a never-ending debate. The annual increases, types of coverage, employee contributions and types of plans all add up to one big ongoing headache.

Many CEOs in this industry have to decide what to offer in the way of health care and, in many cases may not be able to cover the cost of providing it. Of course, union shops cover health care costs for union employees. But the rest of you must decide whether to offer any coverage at all, or just basic coverage with employee contributions paying about 40% of the premiums.

There doesn't seem to be a solution in sight that will make health care affordable for all Americans. New treatment options, diagnostic procedures and drugs keep us from getting sick, resulting in longer life spans, but also increasing the cost of care. Add to that the aging baby boomers and you can see how these new services and options might come into play more often in 2006 than they would in 1980.

The Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) has been promoting Small Business Health Plans (SBHPs) for years without success. SBHPs sound like a good idea, but the insurance companies aren't very keen on the concept. Even where such plans have been offered through associations, in many cases, insurance companies terminated the plans because of the high costs to manage them. Until something is worked out, this program will stay on the back burner.