Business Groups and Health Care

(AP) - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is convening business groups today to plot strategy in response to Democratic health care overhaul proposals advancing in Congress.
Chamber of Commerce Vice President Randy Johnson tells The Associated Press that business groups have been largely restrained about voicing opposition so far, but he says it might be time to change that. The purpose of the meeting is to determine a strategy for expressing opposition. At a Senate hearing yesterday, Johnson expressed the business group’s strong opposition to proposals that would require employers to purchase health care for their employees or pay a penalty.
President Barack Obama told a health care forum in Green Bay, Wis., yesterday that providing coverage to all Americans is essential. And he said the cost will be far less than the cost of doing nothing. The current system, he said, points toward higher deficits, higher health insurance premiums and an economy in which businesses will suffer.