Health Care

Our Position

Our country's health care system has many strengths: tremendous medical innovation, cutting edge technology and drugs, and world-leading medical institutions. Nevertheless, there are huge variations in quality, cost, and access to care within our system. American patients are increasingly suffering from costly and often deadly chronic diseases that are many times preventable. And even though the United States pays more for health care than any other nation, we aren't getting our money's worth when you consider health outcomes and efficiency of care.

Almost five years after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act ("ACA"), further reforms are needed to achieve lower costs, innovative and high-quality care, and better health for all Americans.

Through its Health Care Solutions Council, the Chamber is working to achieve greater value in health care, measured by more affordable coverage options and improved access to higher-quality and prevention-oriented care. Many of these solutions are being pioneered in the private sector, as America's employers implement innovative reforms in health care and wellness. By prioritizing efforts to improve the employer-sponsored health care system—which  covers millions of Americans—we will use these solutions to drive system-wide changes that can lead to better population health and sustainable health care costs.

The Chamber's health care priorities include:

• Advancing private sector-driven proposals from the Heath Solutions Council's report to reduce costs, advance quality, and improve health;
   
• Protecting employers and employees as the administration moves forward with implementation of the health care law;
   
• Promoting solutions that provide relief to businesses working to comply with the ACA, including restoring the 40-hour work week; repealing taxes such as the medical device tax, the Cadillac tax, and the health insurance tax; and addressing other burdens created under the law;
   
• And raising awareness of the positive effects of workplace wellness programs and advocating for tax-favored status for programs aimed at keeping employees healthy.