Health Care Reform

Chamber's Stance on Health Care Reform

U.S. Chamber SBN

Please visit http://www.uschamber.com/issues/index/health/default to learn more about health care reform the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports.

The Chamber believes health reform is critical to the business community -- businesses voluntarily pay over $500 billion every year for employees' health insurance, and cannot afford the cost increases. We support reforming the health system with a simple three-pronged approach:

1. Get Costs Under Control

2. Reform the Insurance System

3. Create a Vibrant Marketplace

March 17th at 3:13pm • Comment Share

Health care

Greg Hamby

greetings: Our health insurance system is broken. Insurance premiums reflect the attempt by the care system to get paid for their treatment of the uninsured. As the premiums increase {as mine did and I cancelled my policy} more become uninsured and premiums increase and so on and so on. The rest of the developed world has a workable system. In those countries you can avail yourself of low to no cost govt. backed care and if you desire you can also buy private insurance. We need the same here. Individuals and small business are being priced out of health insurance. On our present course with no reform there will be socialised medicine within a decade. I am very dissapointed that the USCC is outright spreading lies with their current tv ads. Sincerely, Greg Hamby

March 17th at 5:52am • Comment Share

Katherine Fehrenbacher

Mr Hamby, How can you say low cost or no costs. Who pays for helath insurance? Our tax dollars do. We need more competition to lower costs. We don't need Govt take over of healthcare.

March 18th at 2:11pm

Why does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hate small business?

Russ Klanke

Only the U.S. insists that health care finance should be funded by employers. This puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage. U.S. firms must include health care costs in their cost of goods sold. To avoid these costs, jobs must move overseas.

Simple business. Small firms that cannot afford to ship their jobs offshore are at a competitive disadvantage.

When one out of every three dollars spent on health care goes to administrative overhead, you have to question the wisdom of this scheme.

March 16th at 6:53pm • Comment Share

Health care

Dorie Macag

The Chamber has shown itself to be an Unpatriotic, greedy group of people. Your Health Care attacks prove that you are not interested in the welfare of the middle class. You are moe interested in Uniion Busting and exporting US jobs. You should be pushing this bill. Cheaper Health care would make you more competitive with other industrialized countries, who provide health care to all their citizens. A large part of the cost of doing business is eliminated, giving them an advantage over you guys. but what do you care, you just employ their cheap, or Child labor. SHAME ON YOU CHAMBER.

March 12th at 8:40pm • Comment Share

Barry Brooks

The ads lies reflect a bigger problem with US business, no ethics !

March 16th at 9:31am

Jon Fistler

Way to go Dorie!

I'm relieved to see that people are speaking up and pushing back against the Chamber. The ad being aired currently makes me sick, typical negative political attack ad. It plays over and over, and it just grates my nerves.

March 15th at 7:48pm

fran t

I agree with Dorie Macag wholeheartedly!! Well said

March 15th at 11:45am

Health Care Summit

Eileen Goulding

With Congress meeting to renegotiate on health care reform -- do you think they'll go back to the drawing board to draft real reform that the American people support?

February 25th at 10:12am • Comment Share

Lou Zher

For one, drop the tort reform bit. Texas reformed their tort system, and it has done nothing to alter their health insurance costs. Nothing! It's similar to how the drop in the price of a barrel of oil did not result in a proportional drop in price at the pump. Wonder where that money went? Profit! Tort reform means insurance companies pay out less, and face fewer suits. They profit more!

Do you want to see a drop in frivolous lawsuits? Make the lawyers who file frivolous lawsuits pay the costs of that suit when they lose.

If there's the perception of an error, if there's a chance to sue and get money, people are tempted to sue. I'm a veterinarian, and I have liability insurance. In many of the lawsuits facing vets, the cost of defending the doctor costs way more than just settling the case. It's not the big dramatic payouts that really hurt, it's the drip drip drip of the little lawsuits that are settled out of court. When an attorney repeatedly files baseless lawsuits in order to shake the money tree to see what falls out, they should be barred from practice or made to pay back.

Tort reform had very little to offer in the way of cost containment, I don't understand how this issue is front and center for so many people. It's obviously a concession to the insurance companies.

March 15th at 8:15pm

Philip Stone

If the HC Bill should pass, what impact will it have on the manufacturers of medical devices?

March 11th at 12:44pm

Patte Bahl

The government doesn't fix things...they can't even make money with the monopoly on mail. We were all forced to put money in for social security and medicare and the congress has robbed it to pay for earmarks to keep themselves elected. I am a conservative, I believe in helping people in need. We support our church, privte schools and universities, food banks, meals on wheels and various other charitable organizations. It is not the government's role to take care of people! Their role is to keep us safe from enemies and right now it feels like we need to be kept safe from them!

March 8th at 10:43am

Joan LaGrasse

I think we all agree that somethings need to be done. But what is being discussed on Capital Hill with this bill is Health Insurance Regulation- not health care reform.

True reform would be addressing the delivery system- not merely insurance. To provide adequate care for multitudes we need to look at other models: Add more nurses and nurse practitioniers, and allow them broader authority to practice.

As consumers we should understand that insurance is a product which we may purchase or may be purchased for us (in groups plans) to defray the costs of health care. It is not guarenteed to all that they have insurance, nor should it be a mandate that they must any more than we can guarentee everyone home ownership.

In a perfect world, we work together to help those who cannot afford insurance or qualify to purchace it at a reasonable price.

And yes TORT REFORM IS a part of the solution just as finding a way to assist those who need assistance. No one should loose everything because of a catastropic illness or long term dibilitationg condidtion, but from what I have read, this bill may cause us all to loose the collective house. It was piecemealed together. The budget numbers are smoke and mirrors. The truth is we do not know how much it will cost, but based on past experience, it will be much more than projected.

MY VOTE:

A redounding go back and start over! And while you are re-writing, go ahead and show us how much you can wring out of the programs you already manage. Since that is part of where you believe the money will come from- show us now-show us before we give you more to manage.

Management 101:

Thou shalt not give someone additional responsibilities until you see that he can manage what he has got.

March 8th at 10:40am

John Dolson

This Congress/Administrtion needs to be voted out. The ideologies they have are anti-business, anti-success, anti-human (environmenal zealots who oppose anything but a policy of 'do nothing to the environment'). There are too many that think themselves smarter than the rest of us and in a position to make decisions for us. They have to go.

February 25th at 4:12pm

Patrick Robb

Our "Finest in the World (...if you can afford it)" Healthcare System is BROKEN. Perhaps they really need to start over with a fresh perspective that places THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST and places ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS IN CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN A POSITION OF PRIMACY. I’m no “expert”, but in my humble opinion there are 10 Positions that really must be a part of REAL Healthcare Reform:

There must be a Public Option. If a Public Option were not necessary for the American Healthcare system, then we would need neither Medicare nor Medicare. These two programs have proven that, even with occasional abuses, they are necessary and effective. The Private Healthcare Insurance System has shown that it is a truly mercenary organism. Private Healthcare’s only function is to reap the maximum profit from providing Healthcare Services and requires a that Public Check be put in place to restore Balance and Fairness. Call it Socialism... call it Unfair Competition... BUT Recognize that it is ESSENTIAL TO REAL REFORM.

Implementation of a Federal Minimum Standard of Healthcare Services.

No One Should EVER Lose Their Home Due to Illness. PERIOD.

Labs & Diagnostic Facilities must be removed from the possession of those providing their customer base. Too many Labs & Diagnostic Facilities are Hospital and/or Physician owned. This provides a strong profit motive for unnecessary, redundant, costly and, in some cases, risky tests.

Proven (in a US Court of Law) Criminal Fraud should be the only reason for the denial of Healthcare to any Legal American Citizen or Legal Resident of the United States of America. PERIOD.

Make Mandatory Standardized Electronic Billing Codes and PUBLISH the Cost for Procedures at ALL Healthcare Providers thus allowing for Easy Public Access to Billing Codes and the corresponding submissions for reimbursement from ALL Healthcare Providers. Mandate that all Healthcare Providers (Physicians, Hospitals, Pharmacies, Treatment Centers, Care Givers, Nurses, All Forms of Aid Providers, etc., and their Suppliers) DIGITIZE all Healthcare Records, Service Channels, Diagnostic Procedures, Billing Codes & Invoicing and Match it to SEARCHABLE Standardized Federal Billing System Database that MUST BE WRITTEN IN PLAIN ENGLISH. No more confusing & convoluted billing schemes, please. Call these schemes what they truly are: An intolerable attempt to obfuscate the true costs of Healthcare.

Mandatory Participation by All American Citizens and Legal Residents of the United States of America with Severe Non-Participation Penalties. Subsidies must be provided for Low Income Persons. Opt-Out ONLY by Proving Ongoing & Continuous Healthcare Coverage EXCEEDING the Federal Minimum Standard with Criminal Fraud Penalties for falsified Opt-Out Documentation.

Acknowledge that Healthcare is far too important to be left to the devices of a purely market-driven supply & demand model. It is not a fungible or casually attained product. Recognize Healthcare’s Vital Importance as our Nation’ Future as akin to that of the National Transportation Network and our National Defense. We must stop treating it with less importance than we treat the Broadcast Frequencies that we license and regulate for Entertainment. Perhaps it is so vital that Healthcare Insurance Providers needs to become “non-profit” entities?

Taxation as Income of the Costs to Employers of Employer Provided “Cadillac” Healthcare Plans in excess of the Mandatory Minimum. Compensation is Compensation.

Provide Generous Incentives & Severe Penalties for Healthcare Providers that are Directly Linked to the Overall Health & Well Being of their Patients. Provide Allowances for those Patients with Chronic and/or Incurable Conditions that require Additional Expenditures of Resources so that Outliers do not skew actual performance data sets.

One last thing… Tort Reform is an entirely different subject. Stop trying to link it to Healthcare Reform.

C’mon, folks! The rest of the industrialized world has already implemented reforms. What the hell are we waiting for? How much more money do we need to waste making insurance companies, hospitals and doctors wealthier at our expense and risk to our health & homes?!? Maybe Health Insurance Companies are Obsolete? Perhaps. For the moment we shall now all see if our Legislators have the intestinal fortitude to do what is necessary and right.

February 25th at 1:35pm

Avery Boardman,OD

The fact that there were no Doctors and or anyone from the medical community invited to this discussion speaks volumes. Reform can't be done without cost containment and that won't happen without Tort Reform and tort reform has the same chance as a snowball in Hell when a room full of lawyers are deciding what should be done to fix healthcare.

February 25th at 11:48am

Tim Purcey

I do not think that the democrats really believe that anything negative has been communciated to them about HealthCare Reform after Reids reported comments...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took the floor shortly after Alexander and slammed the Republican's contention that Americans do not want the Senate's bill.

"I would say to my friend Lamar, you're entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts." Reid cited a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll that showed 58 percent of the American people would be "disappointed" if Congress did not pass health care reform this year.

Lets get it right not fast.

February 25th at 11:47am

Washington News - Looking Ahead

from ChamberPost Blog

by JP Fielder With Congress out this week, much of the town is preparing for major events next week, including the president's bipartisan health care summit on Thursday. Ahead of the event, President Obama will take matters into his own hands and put forward a comprehensive health care bill on Monday that's intended to bridge differences between the Senate and House measures. This bill would be attached to a budget bill and then blasted through Congress via the reconciliation process, averting a Republican filibusters and advancing on a simple majority vote. This reconciliation bill from the White House has more affordability subsidies, the union-tweaked Cadillac tax, and fills in the gap in seniors' drug coverage, which would be paid for primarily by additional Medicare cuts and an increase in Medicare payroll taxes. Still, neither Pelosi nor Reid know if they even have the votes to pass this bill. The financial reform debate also heats up next week as the administration is preparing to push for higher capital requirements for banks. Although the White House remains optimistic that a reform bill...

February 19th at 9:29am • Comment Share

What the the "US Chamber of Commerce define as small business

Robert Bruce Cruickshank

Seems to me that Big Business controls the US Chamber of Commerce - another lie, like the Dept of Agriculture's redifining chickens and rabbits as "things" rather than living beings, to avoid animal cruelty laws for Tyson and other mega, ruthles producers of tainted food. Big Business buys the politicians to help Big Business effect its unprincipled profit-oriented rule worldwide.

Avoiding the cost-saving public option in healthcare reform is ridiculous. The GAO has shown that it will cut costs. The ones against it are Big Pharma, Big Healthcare, Big Insurance - Big Business in general.

Do we want to continue to enrich the health insurance companies at our financial expense and at the expense of our health?

If you're afraid of healthcare reform raising taxes, consider that the rises in health insurance premiums we're expected to pay will cost us far more than a modest tax rise. We pay 2x more for health care per capita in the U.S. and are ranked only 37th in quality and availability of care. Just look at our high infant mortality rate: there are 44 nations ahead of us in this area, according to the CIA's website.

According to the conservative Cato Institute, the U.S.pays 16% of GDP for healthcare; Great Brittain and Japan pay 8% of GDP, with better outcomes for patiemts.

So who are the suckers?

February 15th at 7:31am • Comment Share

Edward St.Germain

March 10th at 2:51pm

Health Care Reform - A History

from ChamberPost Blog

by Brad Peck I normally avoid correcting mistakes by the SEIU's bloggers -- who has the time -- but since the snow is blowing sideways and my kids are rebelling against more quality time at the moment, let's take a look at this post regarding a health care op/ed by Bruce Josten which appeared in The Hill. The gist of their post is that you can't trust Josten's claim that "For nearly two years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been working with members of Congress on a bipartisan basis to develop reform legislation that will lower the skyrocketing cost of care, improve quality and expand access to more Americans." because over the summer Chamber VP Randy Johnson was quoted in an AP article saying "I would say it's time to unload the powder and fill the musket," a quote which SEIU says they found because they have "a little time machine called the INTERNET." Well since they have the internet, I am sure they read the full AP article in the proper context of real health care reform slipping...

February 10th at 10:48am • Comment Share

Health Care Reform - Broadening the Discussion

from ChamberPost Blog

by John Martin Starting with The Politico: "President Barack Obama is planning to host a televised meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders on health care reform." Then to the Washington Post: "The invitation to meet together on Feb. 25 -- and to do so live in front of the American public -- represents an effort by Obama to hit the reset button on the top domestic priority of his first year in office. It also reflects a recognition that he must have at least some Republican support if he hopes to see health-care reform pass." Back to The Politico: "Legislators from both parties applauded the meeting, while holding to their positions on the health care legislation." As the New York Times reports: The meeting would mark the first time in the long health care debate that leaders from both sides would be allowed to air their ideas publicly. At least that's what the New York Times reported at some point. The final article does not contain that line, and seeks to paint the meeting as a political ploy. Still...

February 8th at 8:29am • Comment Share

Health Care Reform -- Still Alive

Eileen

It appears Congressional leaders will stop at nothing to pass a bill that the public overwhelmingly opposes.

What are your thoughts on the proposed health care bills and Congress's attempts to pass them at this point? Do you think it will pass? Have you sent a letter to your members of Congress letting them know where you stand on the issue?

February 1st at 3:06pm • Comment Share

Lou Zher

The public is not overwhelmingly opposed to the health care bill. That's a group think myth that opponents perpetuate.

The filibuster was used on rare occasion in the past, once or twice a year. Starting in the 70's, use of the filibuster increased to twenty or thirty times a year. Two years ago, after Republicans lost control of congress, they used the filibuster 112 times. 112 times!

And Republicans attack the Democrats for not getting anything passed!

The Republicans certainly do not want the Democrats to be effective, do not want them to pass any meaningful legislation. Political gamesmanship and political power have taken precedence over doing the work of the people!

The Chamber is on the wrong side of this issue.

This 'forum' is filled with filth and ridiculous ads. Obviously, the Chamber doesn't care enough to actually monitor the forum.

March 15th at 7:58pm

Lawrence Boros

I am will be presenting the following to my Congressman tomorrow:

It is a fact that we are losing trust in Congress. We are looking for any evidence that Congress can function in our interest instead of in the interest of running and financing election campaigns. One example of the latter is the Democrats’ healthcare bill that is 52 times larger than the entire Constitution and is in-comprehendible, overreaching, and full of favors to campaign contributing special interests.

You now have a unique opportunity to help win back our trust in Congress by introducing two pieces of legislation. The first would require that any bill passed by Congress cannot be larger than the Constitution and that members of Congress cannot vote on a bill unless they read it. Imposing the discipline of crafting legislation to a maximum of 7620 words would make it more comprehendible, reduce earmarks, foster economy in government, and reduce the need for a line item veto. The second piece of legislation would state that any bill passed by Congress that affects citizens also affects all members of Congress equally. Such popular legislation would be spotlighted by the media and would make a no vote, even in committee, a major political liability.

We need a new contract with America that acknowledges that poverty is the inability of individuals to create value for themselves and for others. In this economic society we have both the right and the obligation to create value. Creating value requires four things: Motivation, Knowledge, Enterprises, and Health.

Strengthening motivation includes developing the need to achieve at an early age. Improving knowledge includes deconsolidating large failing school systems where the real beneficiaries are the administrators and the unions and then fostering competition with public vouchers. Growing new and strengthening existing enterprises includes negating the incentives of avoiding taxes, safety, and environmental costs that suck enterprises out of this country. Improving health includes real healthcare reform.

Healthcare reform can start with six pieces of legislation that will not add to the deficit. 1. Minimize those situations where our bodies are held hostage and prices are set carte blanche by enabling websites that contain all prices and outcomes for every health care service for every healthcare provider. Such websites would become forums for competitive pricing throughout the healthcare industry. 2. Require that all health insurance companies be mutual companies where the policyholders are the owners. 3. Enable a health insurance industry wide fund that will cover the extra costs associated with preconditions. 4. Allow health insurance companies, which meet standards, the ability to issue health insurance head to head in any State. 5. Enable health care unions, similar to credit unions, where individuals can qualify for group rates on health insurance. 6. And finally, reduce malpractice insurance costs by modifying tort law to reduce the maximum awards from jury trials.

We are hoping that you will represent us on these issues.

February 17th at 10:44pm

Scott Welch

I will agree there are reforms needed. However, the current legislation is not the answer. I suggest that Congress and the White House take a step-by-step approach to this issue. The first step required for healthcare reform is Tort Reform. Period.

February 3rd at 5:31am

Health Care Reform?

John Bates

The fact is we are a fat, lazy country. More than 70% of health care dollars are spent treating chronic (preventable) health conditions. Lowering health care costs is pretty simple - eat less, move more and maintain a healthy body weight.

If we'd do that then there'd be little or no reason to reform health care.

January 28th at 8:00pm • Comment Share

Do Current Health Care Reform Proposals Control Costs?

from ChamberPost Blog

by Blair Latoff President Obama has noted many times -- and correctly -- that we must get health care costs under control. So how do the current reform proposals do in this regard? Let's have a look: CMS Actuary Report: "In aggregate, we estimate that for calendar year 2010 through 2019, NHE would increase by $234 billion , or 0.7 percent, over the updated baseline projection that was released on June 29, 2009." (CMS Actuary Report, Estimated Financial Effects of the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009," as Proposed by the Senate Majority Leader on November 18, 2009, P. 14, 12/10/09) Scott Davis, CEO, UPS: "What it won’t do is fundamentally alter a system in which medical costs routinely outpace inflation, hurting U.S. competitiveness, said Scott Davis, CEO at UPS, the world’s largest package shipper with 340,000 U.S. workers. ‘Cost control ought to be at the base of any health-care reform, and I’m not sure it’s there,’ Davis said in an interview from his Atlanta headquarters." (Bloomberg, ‘Disaster’ Health Plan Breaks Obama Cost-Cut Vow in CEOs’ View, 12/14/09)...

January 28th at 10:53am • Comment Share

Health Care - A Simple Framework

from ChamberPost Blog

by Brad Peck The National Journal asks the experts "Scrap Health Care Reform?" the answer to which is (a qualified) no. We need reform and we need to control costs. As James Gelfand tells Congress, it's time to "Scrap Your Bills, Back to Basics" The people have spoken, clearly. Congress should not pretend they aren’t sure what the MA election was about or that they think Americans want them to move forward with the toxic current bills. The people want Congress to start over. Health reform should be straightforward, bipartisan, affordable, and fiscally responsible. Don’t spend a trillion dollars, or even half that much – and especially don’t raise taxes in this already tough economy. To this end, we suggest a simple framework for Congress to use: 1. Reform the insurance system. Eliminate the use of pre-existing conditions or health status Guarantee that any individual or entity will be issued a policy that will not be revoked Place reasonable limits on rating differences, but don’t rob the young to fund the old Explore ways to prevent free-riding or gaming the...

January 22nd at 11:10am • Comment Share

MA Election is Wake-Up Call on Health Reform

from ChamberPost Blog

by James Gelfand Scott Brown won the Massachusetts election just last night and already the entire DC establishment is in rapid-fire spin-mode to explain away what happened. Finger-pointing between the Coakley campaign and the White House and DSCC is rife, with some Senators coming to the exact wrong conclusions. In fact, Greg Sargent over at the Plum Line blog was more wrong than he usually is, saying: "10:06 PM: On Coakley's loss. There will be a ton of analyis and recrimination surrounding Martha Coakley's stunning loss. But I wanted to make a quick, though narrow, point: The predicament her loss has created for Dems is yet another reminder of the folly of the Dem decision to delay reform last summer in hopes of winning over a few GOPers — and, by extension, of the folly of their broader, ongoing quest for empty "bipartisan" support for the health care plan." In other words, he thinks bipartisanship was the problem. Beam me up, Scotty. Senator Claire McCaskill seems to understand a lot better: "As I said to somebody last night:, everybody needs...

January 20th at 1:54pm • Comment Share

Americans and Government

from ChamberPost Blog

by Brad Peck CNN may not care that the public hates the current health care legislation, but David Brooks gets it: Trust in government has fallen. The share of Americans who say the country is on the wrong track has risen. The share who call themselves conservative has risen. The share who believe government is “doing too many things better left to business” has risen. Many Democrats, as always, are caught in their insular liberal information loop. They think the polls are bad simply because the economy is bad. They tell each other health care is unpopular because the people aren’t sophisticated enough to understand it. Some believe they can still pass health care even if their candidate, Martha Coakley, loses the Senate race in Massachusetts on Tuesday. That, of course, would be political suicide. It would be the act of a party so arrogant, elitist and contemptuous of popular wisdom that it would not deserve to govern. Marie Antoinette would applaud, but voters would rage. The American people are not always right, but their basic sense of equilibrium is...

January 19th at 11:34am • Comment Share

Health Care and Special Interests

from ChamberPost Blog

by Brad Peck Blair emails: During his campaign for office President Obama said during a speech on August 2, 2008, "When special interests put their thumb on the scale, and distort the free market, the people who compete by the rules come in last." So, let me get this straight: That all-day confab in the Roosevelt room with union presidents was not a meeting of "special interests" (IN THE WHITE HOUSE!) putting their thumb on the scale and distorting the free market in health care? This deal amounts to giving special treatment to politically powerful unions while imposing substantial new taxes on others across America. Actually hypocrisy would be a best case scenario here. Two things: You are assuming that the goal of health care reform is to reform the health care system -- by perhaps moving it toward a more free market. On the contrary what we are looking at is legislation designed to further reduce the free market in health care as much as politically possible, with the understanding that a framework is being put in place for...

January 15th at 7:02pm • Comment Share

Lou Zher

Do you know how the free market system works in the health care system? I'll give you an example. Drug companies love products like Lipitor and Viagra, medications for chronic problems. Antidepressants, cholesterol lowering drugs, things like that. Meanwhile, we are facing a looming crisis in the area of antibiotics. Resistance is growing, and very little is being done to research new antibiotics. Why? There's not as much profit in a drug that people only use occasionally. Drug companies are not interested in developing antibiotics.

That's what 'free market' does to health care.

March 15th at 8:27pm

The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Populist

from ChamberPost Blog

by Brad Peck The President to bankers yesterday: "What I’d say to these executives is this: Instead of setting a phalanx of lobbyists to fight this proposal or employing an army of lawyers and accountants to help evade the fee, I’d suggest you might want to consider simply meeting your responsibility" Of course in 2009 47% will not have to meet any federal income tax responsibility. How about paying for health care? Well, let's do make some quick edits/additions (in italics) to this very good post from Alec MacGillis: The country's top union officials spoke glowingly Thursday afternoon of the agreement they had reached with the White House and congressional Democrats to delay, for union members and state/local government workers, an excise tax that will target high-cost health insurance plans. Union leaders fretted threatened earlier this week that the tax on high-cost plans, if left unchanged, would depress enthusiasm among organized labor leading up to the 2010 midterm elections. But they voiced confidence Thursday that their members would embrace the health care legislation under the new terms. "We will be...

January 15th at 12:09pm • Comment Share

Stop The Gov't. Takeover Of Health Care

Small Business Guy

Contact your senators now. They are the only ones standing between the president's pen and a government takeover of our health care system.

November 9th at 8:50am • Comment Share

Joseph Kavusak

Our politicians need to read the constitution they swore to uphold! Start with the 10th amendment! Entitlement programe are unconstitutional! Kill this health care bill! Start it over and pass Tort reform, State to State coverage, continue Medical savings accounts and things along this order.

January 14th at 3:59pm

Ian Marks

Why does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce advocate for federally mandated COBRA insurance?

January 13th at 1:17pm

Greg Weatherman

All that's necessary is to protect the consumer against insurance carriers denying coverage. Create a template of coverage that all plans must have. Let consumers go through third party arbitration with government arbitrators who act swiftly. Stop lawsuit abuse through tort reform and make findings against doctors and hospitals public information. The industry would sort through the new rules and deliver a product much faster and more cost effective. We just need a level playing field for consumer, the medical industry and the insurance carriers.

December 17th at 10:27am

Sean Mathews

I am so tired of seeing commercials trying to install fear and doubt about a government managed health care system. It does not take a very intelligent person to figure out who is behind these commercials.

Insurance companies, small and large businesses that do not currently pay for there employees health care or are looking at canceling health care for its employees to increase profit are clearly trying to defeat national health care.

For over 14 years I have provided health care to my employees. I have watched the prices go higher and higher each year but never have I considered reducing or canceling insurance even if it I had to take a pay cut myself to afford it. Too many businesses including insurance companies only care about profit not about people.

If we had a public option that would provide true competition to insurance companies and by having more people insured and more businesses like my own forced to take care of there employees the overall cost of medical coverage will go down. This is just common sense.

December 9th at 2:02pm

James Gelfand

It's always interesting when people try to compare the US health system to a third world country's, as if most of the world doesn't envy our system and those who can afford it don't fly here for treatment. I think most of these misperceptions come from flawed comparisons like the OECD and UN ratings which are specifically written to punish countries that do not have "universal health care". It doesn't help that in other countries they drive a lot less than Americans do, which seriously hurts our longevity rates - factor out automobile deaths, then look at the numbers. Even worse, the US tries to save premature babies that other countries simply write off and categorize as still-born, which makes it seem as if we have a worse infant mortality rate. Critics usually try to ignore our vastly superior cancer survival and longevity rates.

Overall, I sure prefer having a system that is the pinnacle of world health innovation, saving more babies, and working toward a free market solution to the problems in our system. Don't you?

December 4th at 7:38am

George Penman

USC couldn't be more wrong on healthcare. The US performs only slightly better than Cuba in overall outcomes...only Cuba spends about 5% what we do. Your position is based on willful Republican ignorance and disregard of the public interest. I DO hold it against you AND your members. http://www.seconnecticut.com/healthcare.htm

November 21st at 7:38am

Rich Connelly

I contacted my Republican Senators in Texas several times to stop the insanity. They are dead set against the present form of the health care reform bills. But what else is there to do? It is the Democrats that need to be convinced that the present approach is insane. What is the mechanism to do that? They won't take my calls or emails. There must be more that can be done to voice opposition to this bill.

November 9th at 10:15am

Current Insurance

Small Business Nation

Are you happy with your current insurance?

October 22nd at 8:46am • Comment Share

James Gelfand

Wallace makes a good point. Let's talk about proactive solutions. Click this link to see the Chamber's suggestion for how to reform the system: http://www.uschamber.com/NR/rdonlyres/eherdynist32stdkpeiizmeceumgocvbigecojozeiy7kmiblmacqz7aczrlxdt7l52qkqpok3mlcr5olulc7yvkyeg/072409WhatWeAreFor1Pager.pdf

December 4th at 7:40am

Wallace Stuart

Yes, I am happy with the government-run insurance coverage I have from Medicare. However, I am concerned about much more than about my current coverage. American people with and without insurance (private and government-run) are not well served by the current system. Small Business Nation USA should stop running ads on TV which are sensational and use an emotional appeal to mobilize support against leading legislation in Washington. Lead us, instead, with intelligent advocacy for health care reform that is better than what Congress is now considering.

November 19th at 5:11pm

David Weed

Yes, but I have a good job. People without solid employment, especially the working poor, cannot and do not get preventative care and can be financially devastated by medical problems. The anti-tax, anti-big government forces are controlling the conversation about health care, so everyone seems to be ignoring the fact that the consequence of continuing to do nothing about health insurance in the United States leads to unnecessary suffering by and death of real American citizens.

November 9th at 4:04pm

cara munson

yes, i am very happy with my insurance. my boss is amazing and pays for the whole thing. It can be costly but feel everyone deserves and needs it.

November 6th at 12:55pm

Carol Hearn

Can you get medical health by becoming a member this US Chamber of Commerce? Looking for an plan for me and my family, I am a Realtor in Texas and coverage is costly. any help would be great

November 4th at 12:51pm

Jessica Carlson

Yes, and I definitely wouldn't want any other type of plan.

November 2nd at 8:43am

Ryan Reynolds

Yes, very much so.

October 30th at 12:39pm

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