U.S. Chamber Calls for More Private Health Coverage Options

WASHINGTON, D.C.-The United States Chamber of Commerce today called for more market-based options to expand health coverage to the nation's uninsured and contain spiraling employer costs during "Transformative Change: Market-Driven Health Care" - a conference examining health care financing and delivery issues co-hosted by the Chamber, the American Medical Association, the National Center for Policy Analysis and the Galen Institute.

"Businesses voluntarily provide health care benefits to more than 172 million employees, retirees and their families," said Kate Sullivan, Chamber health care policy director, moderating a panel exploring health benefit management issues. "The challenge for employers today is to find creative solutions to contain costs and give their employees more control over their health care choices and spending."

The cost of providing health insurance is a significant expense for employers, with near-record health care inflation over the last several years threatening their ability to continue providing coverage. As costs rise, companies sometimes scale back or even drop coverage or require employees to contribute a larger portion of the cost.

"To protect and expand coverage, we need to build on what works in the employer-based system and provide more options to individuals and small employers," said Sullivan. "The policy focus in Washington must be on expanding coverage to the 43 million Americans who lack health insurance, not on enriching the benefits of those who already have it."

The Chamber advocates strengthening and expanding the current market-based system through tax incentives for individuals who buy their own health insurance, including refundable tax credits for those with low incomes, and making coverage more affordable through pooled purchasing under ERISA for small businesses, individuals and the self-employed.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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