Providing Health Care and Retirement Security for Every American
Rising Health Care Costs Hurt America’s Competitiveness
Skyrocketing health care costs are stifling the economy and financially devastating hardworking Americans.
A healthy workforce is the backbone of a strong economy, but spiraling health care costs curb the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and constrain tight family budgets. Unless we deal with this problem, more companies and families will be forced to drop coverage, adding to the millions of Americans without health insurance. - Rising health care costs are one of the top cost pressures for businesses of all sizes. Medical benefits make up the largest share (12.1%) of employer benefit costs (U.S. Chamber 2007 Health Benefits Study).
Government-Run Health Care Is NOT the Answer
A government-run or single-payer health care system with government mandates is the wrong answer to our health care problems. The U.S. Chamber believes that employers drive innovation in health benefits, thereby making market-driven health reforms the best approach to reducing costs, while promoting efficiency, wellness, and quality of care.
The U.S. Chamber’s Commonsense Health Care Agenda
To reignite and sustain economic growth, we must increase access to affordable health care coverage, improve efficiency, and realign the system to focus on keeping people healthy. The Chamber’s health care reform agenda has five main elements: - Increased Access: Strengthen employer-sponsored health insurance and make it more available—and affordable—to every worker. We support leveling the playing field for individual consumers, families, and small businesses to purchase coverage while protecting the benefits of a uniform federal regulatory system (ERISA). - Health Information Technology (IT): Promoting and ensuring widespread adoption of interoperable Health IT—including electronic prescriptions and use of computerized systems to store medical records—will improve quality, lower costs, reduce medical errors, and help patients and doctors make better medical decisions. - Prevention and Wellness: Incentivizing individuals and businesses to live healthier lifestyles could avert 40 million cases of chronic diseases and reduce health care costs by more than $1 trillion (Milken Institute). - Consumer-Focused Health Care: Congress should make account-based plans more attractive to small businesses by increasing flexibility and improving the transparency of cost and quality data so that Americans can shop smart for the best care. - Medical Liability Reform: The Chamber supports health courts and other medical liability reforms that ensure fair damage awards, eliminate frivolous lawsuits, and lower the costs of health care in the United States.
Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits Division
The Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits Division facilitates the use of policy committees composed of Chamber members that formulate and analyze the Chamber's policy in the areas of labor law, immigration, pension and health care. The Division regularly interacts with Congressional staff, numerous Federal agencies and many national coalitions (some of which are chaired by the Chamber) to help define and shape national labor, immigration and employee benefit policy.
Friends of the U.S. Chamber is a nationwide grassroots network dedicated to pro-growth policies that can strengthen the American economy. The network was created as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's initiative to mobilize constituents to advocate on behalf of pro-business legislation.
Friends of the U.S. Chamber is composed of Americans like you from every walk of life -- small business owners, college students, educators, bankers, retirees, health professionals and others -- all committed to ensuring the strength of our economy and American enterprise.
Join our network and add your voice to the national debate on critical issues that impact you and your community. Use this forum to stay informed -- ensuring our nation's long-term prosperity for generations to come.
