Sarah Varney is a health reporter for KQED Public Radio's Health Dialogues in San Francisco, www.HealthDialogues.org.
Sarah is also a health reporter for The California Report, www.thecaliforniareport.org.
One of the bright spots in the economy is the green jobs sector. Workers are being hired, in some cases with federal stimulus money, to weatherize old homes or install rooftop solar panels. But while the results bring environmental benefits, it may also present hazards for the workers.
Perplexed by the unusually high rates she was paying for her employer-provided health insurance, NPR member station reporter Sarah Varney set out to better understand the system. She discovered that small companies' rates are dictated by the demographics of their work force — and when the work force is small, it can spell complications, higher prices or both.
