Big business, which has typically been loath to push for a bigger government presence in the healthcare market, says revamping the healthcare system is now urgent, reports The New York Times. Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, was quoted as saying that in 30 years she has not seen this much frustration among business executives regarding the state of health care. And although there is little chance of healthcare reform before the 2008 elections, some observers say that government and business are finally ready to work together to make substantial changes. But the solution has to be a federal one rather than multiple state initiatives, Jack Bovender, chief executive of HCA, told the Times. “I think we need to move quickly but not grab at what appear to be quick easy fixes; things that sound good always have unintended consequences,” he said. Many business leaders are advocating that the first step in healthcare reform should be to find a way to cover the country’s 8 million uninsured children.
