CEOs Helping with Health Insurance

CEOs Helping with Health Insurance

Chief Executive Officers of leading American companies with nearly 10 million employees convened to improve America’s dire health insurance problems. Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs, unleashed their new health care policy today aimed at providing affordable health insurance options for every American citizen and establishing a reliable and secure public safety net.

Chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, Ivan Seidenberg, stated, “The problem with the health care market in this country is that it doesn’t really function as a market—leaving major consumer needs unmet, costs unchecked by competition, and basic practices untouched by the productivity revolution that has transformed every other sector of the economy.

The policy offers changes that would make the health care system more transparent and understandable to American consumers. The changes would make the system more efficient, while having more marketplace options for employers, as well as individuals, to acquire coverage.

The policy is built upon the following concepts:

Technology would be used to create greater consumer value in this area. Also, consumers would have more information available about good quality health care.

The current, fragmented state-by-state market would be replaced with mullti-state markets offering an all-inclusive private health insurance market. It would provide the consumer with more choices in broader, more competitive markets.

Americans would be responsible for their health insurance, whether it’s employment-based or through the private health marker. Employer-sponsored or community prevention and chronic care programs would be available with participation encourage.

Low-Income and uninsured Americans would be offered assistance and health coverage. This would be financed from the savings and productive use of resources generated from this competitive, value-driven system.

Go to http://www.businessroundtable.org/pdf/HealthPlan-Prepublication.pdf for the complete plan.

Business Roundtable President John Castellani said, “Technology, competition and innovation can be the most powerful weapons in the fight to provide every American reliable, affordable health insurance.”