For Immediate Release

State Business Leaders Support Health Coverage for California's Kids

LOS ANGELES (September 13, 2005) - A key sampling of California employers say providing health care for all children is the right thing to do and business leaders want to be a part of the solution, according to a report released today by The California Endowment. Increased premiums, in some cases double-digit increases, are squeezing employers and driving up the number of uninsured workers and their dependents nationwide.

"Business leaders, from small businesses to large corporations, recognize that our health care system is in crisis and something needs to be done," said Lisbet Sunshine, Director of Public Policy for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. "We want to be a part of the solution because if something isn't done sooner rather than later, it will have a chilling impact on California's future workforce."

The employer response is an analysis of seven meetings held throughout the state and organized by The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, and United Ways' Covering California's Children Initiative, a project of seventeen local United Ways. Small meetings of high level executives were conducted in San Francisco, Sacramento, Tulare, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Oxnard and San Diego. In all, more than 60 business leaders, ranging from sole proprietors to Fortune 500 companies, participated in meetings held in June and July of 2005.

"Engagement of our business partners in this crucial policy discussion is an important role for local United Ways in helping to build healthy communities. Without healthy children, our future is at stake. We are pleased to have business leaders join this discussion," stated Elise Buik, President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

Business leaders concluded that health care in California is at a crisis and made a number of recommendations. Among their recommendations was support for existing efforts to find a way to cover the remaining 800,000 children in California without health care coverage. The $330 million price tag for providing health coverage to all California's kids is reasonable and affordable, they said.

They also recommended that the government first examine how it spends health care dollars, cut "wasteful" spending, and address other health care spending inefficiencies before even considering any kind of new taxes.

"Recent gains in enrolling uninsured children into public programs have led to a decrease in numbers of those without health coverage," said Robert K. Ross, M.D., president and CEO of The California Endowment. "But there remain about 800,000 uninsured kids in California who do not have access to health care services when they need them. It is very reassuring to know that business leaders want to be a part of the solution to cover California's kids. For them its more than a bottom line issue, it's the right thing to do."

Business leaders agreed that providing all California's kids with health insurance is more than just good for their companies' bottom line. While they agreed that parents who don't worry about their sick children make for a more productive, healthier work force, they also noted that such an effort would improve future work force development, since healthier kids today means healthier and better workers in the future.

The analysis of the business leader convenings can be downloaded in PDF format at www.covercaliforniaskids.org.

The California Endowment was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. The Endowment makes grants to organizations and institutions that directly benefit the health and well-being of the people of California. For more information, visit The Endowment's Web site at www.calendow.org.

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