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NORMAL -- Offering health care benefits to its 37 employees has not been easy for Fox and Hounds, a downtown Bloomington business, but U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday he has a plan that may help it and other small businesses offer such coverage.

Denise Eyre, business manager for the hair salon and day spa, said 18 of its full-time employees use the benefit, but the cost of premiums are shared equally between the salon and the employees. Also there is a $1,000 deductible; the employee pays the first $500 in medical expenses and Fox and Hounds pays the next $500.

“We had to go to such a high deductible because the premiums were increasing and we didn’t want to take the benefit away,” Eyre said.

Eyre was one of several local business representatives who discussed their concerns about the current employer-based health care system with Durbin, D-Ill., and state Sen. Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, Wednesday at Medici restaurant in uptown Normal. The two Democrats made the joint appearance to promote Durbin’s Small Business Health Options Program."

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