Employers concerned about Obama's plans for health care reform

By wide margins—and regardless of their personal political affiliation—those who are responsible for structuring and managing employer-sponsored health plans expressed serious concerns about many features of health care reform that President Obama and several congressional leaders have embraced and the absence of sufficient attention to improving the quality of health care and containing the costs of health coverage. This is according to the results the second annual Corporate Health Care Policy Forecast Survey, conducted by Miller & Chevalier Chartered and the American Benefits Council.

“Clearly, this is a group of voters that supports health care reform and supports the President. A higher percentage of this group than the country as a whole—including a quarter of those who are Republicans—voted for President Obama,” said James A. Klein, president of the American Benefits Council. “Yet, they are very concerned about several issues that are front and center right now. The people responsible for employer-sponsored health plans covering over 130 million Americans believe it is vital that key elements of reform be properly addressed.”

The survey results also confirm that nearly unanimously, business leaders believe maintaining the federal framework of ERISA, is vital to continuing employer-sponsored coverage. Regardless of their company’s size, geography, industry or even the respondent’s own political affiliation, respondents overwhelmingly support maintaining ERISA standards and oppose individual regulation at the state level.

Source: Spencer’s

Reprinted with permission. © CCH
(Submitted July 1, 2009)

 

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