Insureon, the nation's leading online insurance agent for small and micro businesses, this week published the Q4 2013 numbers from its Small Business Insurance Online Pricing (SCIOP) Index through its educational arm, the Insureon Small Business Institute (ISBI). The index shows that prices for small commercial insurance policies bought by insureon customers increased by 2.25 percent compared to Q4 2012, a rise slightly below the 3% increase reported for the broader commercial insurance market.

The SCIOP Index, calculated quarterly, offers insight into the prices the nation's smallest businesses (including freelancers, independent contractors, sole proprietors, and those with fewer than 10 employees) are paying for essential insurance coverage. To help small-business owners better understand the forces that affect the cost of insurance, the ISBI publishes a brief analysis of the SCIOP Index every quarter, examining price changes by region, by policy, and by profession.

"It's more important than ever to track the cost of insurance for small businesses," said Ted Devine, CEO of insureon, citing the fact that 70 percent of the economy's new jobs added in December 2013 were at small and mid-sized businesses. "As small businesses continue to drive economic growth in the U.S., it's crucial that we understand the factors that affect their ability to increase revenue and create jobs so we can help them do that even better."

Of note in Q4 2013 were Workers' Compensation price increases in much of the country, which analysts have been forecasting for some time. Nationally, Workers' Comp policy prices climbed five percent year over year, but for Californiabusinesses, prices jumped by 12 percent.