Unitek College staffers were amazed by a national Medicare study that revealed that Santa Cruz County hospitals have the highest labor costs in the country. I think most of us would have bet on San Francisco city, but it seems Santa Cruz nurses are paid even more.

The Medicare Wage Index study indicates that labor costs per patient in Santa Cruz County hospitals are 36 percent more than the national average. County health officials say that means higher medical costs and insurance premiums for patients (and more money for our grads, grin).

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