Chamber: State Must Pay Increased Attention to Rising Health Care Costs

Press Release

August 12, 2008 (INDIANAPOLIS) — The Indiana Chamber of Commerce today released its sixth public policy letter from its board of directors to the state’s two major party candidates for governor. The topic for this installment is health care.

The message: Waiting on the federal government to reform programs such as Medicare and Medicaid is a lost cause; a practical approach instead is for the state to focus on prevention and wellness, improved access and cost controls.

“The rising cost of providing health care coverage for employees is the number one concern we hear from our member businesses,” stresses Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar. “The state needs to actively take steps to drive these coverage costs down.”

The Indiana Chamber believes the state has a program to build on in the Healthy Indiana Plan (or HIP) that was implemented in 2007.

“It extends insurance to some low-income working Hoosiers, offers tax credits for businesses with qualified wellness programs and encourages smokers to quit. But there’s more left to do,” Brinegar offers.

“Many Hoosiers are still uninsured, so further options must be explored. Otherwise, those with insurance will continue to see their rates increase to pay for those without it.”

What will only make matters worse is if the General Assembly pushes for more mandated coverages of certain diseases or ailments.

“This will force smaller businesses to drop insurance programs altogether and lead to less people covered,” Brinegar predicts. “What we need to do instead is reward businesses and individuals who take responsibility for their well-being.

The letter calling for increased attention to the state’s health care dilemma plus the accompanying video commentary can be found at www.indianachamber.com/letters. There, Hoosiers can also view the timeline and subjects for all of the letters, as well as take the opportunity to share their thoughts on the Chamber blog.

The series, called “Letters to Our Leaders,” continues through August 26, with one letter released weekly to the general public and the candidates on a key issue area that needs attention from state government. These messages are distributed on behalf of the Indiana Chamber’s 125 board members who represent 4,800 member companies employing 800,000 Hoosier workers.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years.

Source: The Indiana Chamber of Commerce