First off, it seems that every year, another million people become uninsured. 4 years ago, it was 43 million people and now it is 47 million according to an AARP article on the subject. It's for January 7, 2007. I'm not old enough to get this catalog. I'm borrowing my Dad's.
It is interesting that in the past, most big business would just say "screw you" to employees when health care costs rise. They have been on their own with health care ever since many big business leaders started calling for individual accounts. That being said, big business is still having to foot the bill for health care and it is obviously eating into their profits. As we know, Starbucks has been making sure even their part-time employees are insured. Starbucks spends $200 million on health care for 80,000 employees. They spend more on health insurance than on coffe beans. Interesting how in 1993, Clinton was trying to discuss Universal health care only to find out that it was the fourth rail of politics. But now, Big Business is the one pushing for Universal Health Care. While it is true with Democrats back in control of congress, heath care was bound to become an issue again. But some of the support for Universal Health Care is coming from the most unlikely of places. Big Business. And why not? Health Care Premiums have increased 87% since 2000 and the number of uninsured has gone up. Not a moment too soon either. I have always found it despicable that many conservatives, especially ones that are supposedly pro-big business are so against fixing health care. Calling it socialized medicine. Here's the thing, if there was a Government program, small businesses won't be hurt because they will not collapse under the expectation that they do so much to insure their employees. Big Business won't see nearly the losses they have seen in recent years due to increased health care costs. As it is now, Ford and GM have lost billions to insure current and former employees. For me, personally, I was in two car accidents last year and didn't get hurt in either of them. I got lucky. I can't even imagine what would happen if I did get hurt in one of those accidents. I am sure I have little problems that could afford to be looked at and might get worse over time if not. My ankles and knees.
But here are a few snippets of the article:
As unlikely as it seems, big business could emerge as the force that finally brings about universal health insurance. In the first week after the November elections, the CEOs of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler met with President Bush to discuss issues they faced, including health care costs. That same week, America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group of large insurers, released a 10-year, $300 billion proposal to provide health insurance for all children and 95 percent of adults—through a combination of tax breaks for individual taxpayers and the expansion of government programs such as Medicaid.
"I think we're getting to a tipping point where this country is going to be willing to move on health care," said Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott in an appearance on the Charlie Rose show last year. "Business and labor are going to have to participate and probably play even more of a leadership role than government ... and then bring the political side along with them."
http://www.aarp.org/...