Regardless of their personal political affiliation, corporate benefit professionals expressed concerns with both presidential candidates’ healthcare proposals, according to a survey conducted in July and August by Miller & Chevalier Chartered and the American Benefits Council. The results of the 2008 Corporate Health Care Policy Forecast Survey, measuring the perspectives and attitudes of corporate benefit professionals on the direction of healthcare policy in the coming year, were announced today.
Three-fourths (74 percent) of respondents say that a repeal of the employee tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health coverage (a proposal of Republican presidential candidate John McCain) would have a strong negative impact on their workforce. Respondents clearly rejected the assertion that altering the tax exclusion for employer-provided health coverage would not affect employer sponsorship of plans.
Also, 46 percent of respondents said that requiring employers to “pay or play” (a proposal of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama) would have a strong negative effect on their workforce--more than three times the number of respondents (14 percent) who viewed the idea positively.
Respondents also said that they would like to see more focus on cost (58 percent) and quality (74 percent) issues. Read the survey report.
