By Randy Johnson
Chamber Vice President for Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits

 

The Chamber's health care team is pushing for a more transparent, efficient, and value-driven 21st century health care system. We are seeing some success on the subject of health information (IT) technology. Major players are now supporting a move to electronic prescribing; more doctors and hospitals than ever before are adopting IT systems; and the federal government is finally adopting interoperability standards to enable different IT systems to connect and talk to one another.

 

More health insurers, state governments, and even the Department of Health and Human Services are starting to post information about the quality of doctors and hospitals on the Internet. Congress has decided to hold hearings on legislation to help promote the adoption of health IT. After years of bickering, we may finally see movement on this issue.

 

But health IT alone is not enough. We need tax equality for individuals and small businesses that purchase health insurance. Congress is slowly learning the truth-that health care mandates raise prices and make it difficult for individuals and small businesses to buy insurance. Large businesses are protected by a national framework and the ability to form large pools and negotiate with vendors. The Chamber continues exploring ways to help small businesses and individuals enjoy the same rights.

 

Health care costs have been out of control for a long time. We believe that the federal government is in a position to help by encouraging pay-for-performance programs and changing the way we think about health care. Rather than focusing only on the sick, we need to find ways to keep people healthy. The Chamber is urging legislators to consider granting tax
credits to businesses that implement wellness programs and looks forward to working with lawmakers on the Hill and our members to make our health care vision a reality.