The following public policy statement has been developed for your chamber to adopt. By doing so your chamber will join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chambers from across the country in working together on behalf of our collective members to find solutions to making health care accessible and affordable to all employers and their employees.
Upon Adoption please let us know so that we can add you to the growing coalition by using the attached fax back form found at the bottom of this page.
The United States has the world's best health care system, but coverage is being priced out of reach for more and more American citizens. Five straight years of double-digit health insurance premium increases have pushed the number of Americans who lack coverage to over 45 million. Companies struggle to find health care plans that provide adequate coverage and are still affordable.
The __________________________ Chamber of Commerce recognizes that most health care coverage is provided by employers. To make it easier for employers and their employees to afford the health care coverage they need and the quality they deserve, the Chamber supports legislative action that:
- Supports the continuation of the health care employer based system.
- Allows companies to band together and form Small Business Health Plans, which can negotiate lower prices and better choices than small businesses can find on their own.
- Encourages more Americans to save for medical expenses tax-free by expanding Health Saving Accounts and allowing those with Flexible Spending Accounts to roll over unused balances to pay for future medical expenses.
- Encourages more Americans to purchase health insurance by enacting refundable tax credits for that purpose.
- Holds down soaring health care costs due to the explosive growth in medical liability awards and insurance costs by limiting awards for non-economic damages (all medical costs and lost earnings could still be recovered).
- Supports Medicare reforms with appropriate levels of reimbursement for hospitals, promotes pay-for-performance for doctors, modernizes the care provided through a prescription drug benefit, and preserves the overall solvency of the program.
- Encourages the funding and implementation necessary to bring about an information technology revolution to the entire health care industry.
The __________________________ Chamber of Commerce joins with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other chambers across the country in support of promoting these health care reforms. The Chamber Coalition for Health Care Solutions is dedicated to increasing access and affordability of health care keeping the above named principles in the forefront of the debate. Click here to download Policy Statement in a Word file
Click here to download form to join coalition |
