Obama's Health Plan Not Endorsed By Chamber

If you listen to Barack Obama, one would believe the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports his health care plan. Obama has made this point many times during debates, stump speeches, and television ads. So it must be true! Well, no!

First, no local level, state wide, or the national Chamber of Commerce unit has given either health plan an endorsement. That is simple fact!

The President of the US Chamber of Commerce posted the following on their web site today.

“ Endorsing a Health Care Plan
by Tom Collamore

It is great to see the issue of health care reform getting the coverage it deserves during this election season. I would just like to clear up one misperception we have noticed in the last few weeks. The U.S. Chamber does not endorse presidential candidates, nor have we specifically supported either candidate’s health care platform. As Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the Chamber, often states:

We stand ready to work with whoever is elected president, and we hope that any new president will want to work closely with us."

Neither presidential proposal on health care reform is perfect, very little in this world is. But the Chamber is committed to ensuring that we have a world-class health care system, and equally committed to working with the next Administration to ensure that the health reform debate builds on a foundation that works – the employer sponsored system.

If you are looking for a health care platform we do endorse, get a quick summary here, or read a more detailed version.”

You can go to the C of C site on by clicking below. This will allow you to follow links to additional information. http://www.chamberpost.com/2008/10/endorsing-a-hea.html

Both Obama and McCain seek the same end point with regards to health care. They differ on how to pay for it. The C of C does not endorse neither candidate, nor their health plan. They believe neither addresses the true problem of rising costs.

Obama keeps on beating the drum that by spending $60 billion of taxpayer money to put all hospitals on computerized record systems will save 25% of health insurance costs. The only hospitals not currently on computerized records systems are ones that have neglected to on their own accord.

The vast majority of hospitals have already switched over to computerized record systems within their own cost savings programs. They did not need outside government financial support to do so. Right here in Fort Wayne, Indiana you will find everyone one of our hospitals has already switched to computerized record systems.

Fort Wayne residents will not see hospital care costs go down by 25% (this savings has been debated to be much closer to 10% savings then 25%). Hence, Fort Wayne’s health care costs will remain nearly the same. Therefore health care insurance premiums will stay near where they are at.

Obama’s proposed savings will not be realized until four years out. The reason is his plans call for four years to convert all hospitals to using computerized medical records program. So using Obama’s concept, on an average across the nation there should be a 6% reduction in health costs per year.

Obama and McCain do not address trying to control actual health care run-a-way costs of 8-12% a year. Obama’s so called savings would be gone in two to three years at best but cost 60 billion dollars to get there. McCain’s $5,000 tax credit would be gone in three to four years.

Obama can only hang his endorsement of any Chamber of Commerce group is to the Miami Chamber of Commerce that took a survey of members on who they would vote for in November. On October first the Miami Chamber released a press statement saying 46% of members polled said they would be voting for Obama. 25% had indicted they would be voting for McCain. The remaining 28% had not decided. The Miami Chamber did not release how many of their members had actually been polled.

What is interesting when you go to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce you can not find a press release of such. In fact, the only web site reporting on this is web site called “The Insider!”

Here is the link:
http://dailybusinessreview.typepad.com/insidetrack/2008/10/bucking-the-tre.html

So Obama has no endorsement from any Chamber for his health care plan.