Senate Outreach Needed On Health Care

November 3, 2009

UMA endorses the position of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) which strongly supports health care reform that lowers costs and improves the quality of care.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he will bring a health care bill to the Senate floor that includes a “public option” allowing states to “opt out.”

A public option has the potential to seriously hurt manufacturers’ ability to continue to provide high-quality health benefit plans. This legislation could force private health insurance competitors to cut coverage or drive them out of the marketplace completely, driving up costs for manufacturers.

A public option would inevitably shift costs to the private sector and fail to achieve the goal of reducing overall health care costs. This cost-shifting means that manufacturers who continue to offer private insurance will face even higher premiums because more people will be in plans that pay doctors and hospitals at lower, government rates, causing a shift in costs to private insurance payers.

It’s unlikely that you, as an employer, will be able to offer the same benefits you do now. In the end, it is employees who would feel the impact. The NAM has been advocating for more effective ways to improve access to affordable health care which does not require a public plan.

The UMA urges you to contact both Senator Hatch and Senator Bennett now to express your concern over health care reform. It is critical that lawmakers enact a version of reform that reduces health care costs for manufacturers and does not include a public plan. While Utah’s two senators are very supportive of the position outlined above, it would be good for them to hear from Utah manufacturers to reinforce them in this time of difficult lawmaking. Thanks for your support. Health care reform is a landmark issue for manufacturers.