Soaring healthcare costs are causing Microsoft to scale back its generous employee healthcare program.

The company told its employees today that they would have to start paying for some of their healthcare benefits in 2013, TechFlash reports.

Microsoft is one of the few companies that covered 100% of its employees healthcare.

But, healthcare costs have grown in the last ten years. It's not projected to change anytime soon, so Microsoft is moving to save some money.

Todd Bishop at TechFlash has a fabulous explanation of what's happening at Microsoft from an insurance expert:

Microsoft's health-care benefits have been traditionally "very rich" compared with those offered by most corporations, Hanson said. He likened the forthcoming contribution requirement to telling people who get free Jaguars that they're going to need to start paying for part of the car's air conditioning.