This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
WASHINGTON - Executives of 40 major corporations joined Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to call for a major shift in American health care. The Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform is calling for universal health coverage through a series of incentives for consumers and providers and incentives for healthy behavior. Those principles overlap with legislation that Bennett joined Wyden last week in co-sponsoring, and the senators are hopeful that they will get the backing from business to get their reform bill passed in this Congress.
Bennett said the current health system has been in place since World War II. "It's about time to fix it," he said.
Wyden said he hopes his bill "turns the system on its head and creates new incentives for prevention."
The coalition included CEOs of companies like Safeway Inc., Medtronic Inc., and General Mills, as well as insurance companies like Aetna and CIGNA.
"Our goal is very simple: to build a stronger, healthier America by moving meaningful health-care reform forward now," said Edward Hanway, CEO of CIGNA.
- Robert Gehrke
