Judging by wealthy capitalists backing his presidential campaign, U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut has not scared off all businesses with his proposal for universal health care.
By a similar token, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has yet to emerge as a clear front-runner after assuring businesses that, if elected, he is not planning a federal version of his Massachusetts tax on companies that do not offer employees health-care insurance.
As Democrat and Republican candidates debate the merits of their plans for health care, local businesses and employer trade groups for the most are staying on the sidelines, despite the impact any changes could have on the cost of doing business.
A spokesman for General Electric Co., Fairfield County”™s second-largest employer, said the company does not comment on political campaigns; a spokesman for the county”™s largest employer, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., did not respond to a request for comment.
Pitney Bowes Inc. declined comment on specific proposals, but the company believes its own policies may prove influential during the debate on health care over the coming months.
“As the Pitney Bowes model has shown, selective investments in employee wellness and employee education about lifestyle choices can repay huge dividends in employee well-being, productivity, and job satisfaction,” said Pitney Bowes spokesman Matt Broder. “We encourage government leaders to look at public policies that encourage employers to (use) these approaches.”
The Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) expects the issues of cost, access and quality to be inextricably linked, and said that presidential hopefuls will have to explain how any solution addresses all three legs of that stool.
“What is striking is that there are some common themes you are seeing across party lines,” said Eric George, an associate counsel for the CBIA who focuses on health care. “There is a strong recognition that cost is the primary barrier, and only then do you begin to get away from the common ground.”
George said Connecticut businesses generally are leery of any move toward universal health care, such as Dodd”™s proposal to create a “Universal HealthMart” modeled on the Federal Employese Health Benefits Plan. Dodd says premiums under his plan would be more affordable thanks to leveraged negotiating power, reduced administrative costs, and incentives for technology and preventative care.
Perhaps philosophically akin to the new health-care law in Massachusetts, U.S. Sen. ”“ and Democratic frontrunner ”“ Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York would require larger employers to pay fees if they do not provide insurance for their workers; small companies would be able to take tax credits if they provide insurance.
“The jury is still sort of out on Massachusetts,” said Lisa Mercurio, a spokeswoman for The Business Council of Fairfield County, which declined comment on specific candidate plans.
Â
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has been battling Romney and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee for the GOP presidential lead in various polls this month, is opposed to government mandates requiring people or businesses to have insurance. Giuliani has proposed tax exemptions of up to $15,000 on health spending by families.
With Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut General Assembly authorizing a new HealthFirst Connecticut Authority to analyze improvements to the state”™s health-care system, it is uncertain how the new panel will proceed given the national debate that will be occurring over the next year.
“It”™s a good question,” said CBIA”™s George. “There are advocates who are going to take a wait-and-see approach for the next year. We are operating under the notion that anything and everything is on the table.”
Â
