August 1, 2009

Senator Mark Warner
United States Senate
459A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510


Senator Warner:

I strongly urge you to oppose any legislation that would enact a government-run, public health care plan. A public plan would be an unfair competitor, ultimately shifting costs to the private sector as it becomes big enough to drive down reimbursements to doctors and hospitals. Consumers would then flock to the public plan because its premiums would be cheaper, and ultimately no viable private plans would remain.

In fact, a recent study by The Lewin Group estimates 130 million people would move from private to public insurance if such legislation were enacted. This would be a disaster – and devastate the employer-sponsored system.

Additionally, any mandate to employers that requires them to offer a one-size-fits-all “minimum benefits package” to all their employees is the wrong idea. The solution isn’t to force people to buy into an unaffordable system; the solution is to improve the quality and affordability of health care through market-based changes. Employer mandates, by their nature, limit flexibility and innovation; the foundation of voluntary employer provided health care.

Instead, I encourage Congress to reform the insurance market and find ways to control costs. Without serious steps to decrease health care spending, any such plan will accelerate the day of a health care financial meltdown.

Please consider the impact that a public plan and new sweeping employer mandates would have on the private sector. This is not the way to overhaul the health care system. I strongly urge you to oppose any legislation that favors a government-run, public health care plan.

Sincerely,


Tony Howard
President & CEO
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce