Managing Automation - August 2008 - (Page 31)

Barack Obama, is proposing a national health plan — a government-run insurance program that would be similar to the plan currently offered to members of Congress. The plan would be an alternative to private health insurance and available to all, with lower-income Americans receiving subsidies. Obama also would require employers that don’t offer health insurance to pay into a fund, and he would mandate healthcare for all children. Some manufacturers have shown interest in other hybrid healthcare reform proposals that would continue to make Pitney Bowes discovered that certain private insurance available while also of fering govdiseases were driving up costs the most ernment-r un insurance and were responsible for high levels of that would be subsidized for lower-income individuabsenteeism. — Jack Mahoney als and families. market pressures, has gotten too great. We One such proposal is the Healthy Amerihave an aging workforce, which slams us. cans Act, legislation proposed by Sen. Ron It’s a huge issue.” Wyden (D-OR) that would remove responsiDespite the pain, manufacturers, as a bility for providing healthcare from employgroup, are ambivalent about what governers. Employers would give workers salary ment can and should do to bring down increases equal to current health coverage healthcare costs. Although today’s largely costs, and workers would have the option of private healthcare system has led to continuing to buy private insurance or joining runaway costs in this country, many manua government-run program modeled on the facturers shy away from advocating a singlesystem now offered to members of Congress. payer, government-led healthcare system, All Americans would be required to buy fearful it could lead to even higher costs and health insurance. Employers that haven’t oflower quality. fered healthcare benefits would pay into the “Government healthcare is not the ansystem based on their size and profitability. swer,” says Brett Castine, chief financial ofINTRIGUING PROPOSAL ficer at Pointe Precision, Inc., a maker of parts for the aerospace and other industries. “The Healthy Americans Act is attractive to “Government can’t balance its budgets or many manufacturers because it gets them do things ver y efficiently. So that’s not a out of the healthcare business, and it allows quick fix.” them to eliminate the significant cost and efMessinger agrees. “A lot of us in manufor t they must mount just to administer facturing are at the point of saying, ‘Uncle. healthcare programs,” says Les Miller, senior We give up.’ We’re wondering why it ever attorney at the Manufacturers became our responsibility as corporations Alliance/MAPI, a trade orKEY RECOMMENDATIONS to [provide healthcare]. On the other hand, ganization. “There are a lot of ● Develop a hybrid system under which employwe’re concerned about the inefficiency of proposals out there, but this ers and government share responsibility for government bureaucracy and the possibility one is very interesting to a lot providing healthcare that it will become even more expensive.” of our members.” ● Provide employers with better visibility into Messinger says he favors Republican presMiller’s group has not yet enthe costs and benefits of specific insurance and other healthcare products idential candidate Sen. John McCain’s plan for dorsed the Healthy Americans ● Limit malpractice lawsuits healthcare reform, which calls for reforming Act, which is given little chance the current, privately funded system with tax of passing through Congress ● Require healthcare providers to collaborate on sharing expensive equipment credits for workers, greater reliance on tools this year. such as health savings accounts, and greater Other manufacturing trade ● Push for healthcare industry process improvements and automation portability of health insurance. groups, however, reject any McCain’s Democratic opponent, Sen. healthcare reform proposals cant portion of respondents — 27% — said they are ready for a European-style healthcare system that looks to government rather than the private sector to underwrite costs. Another 29% said they would prefer a hybrid system that would expand coverage but retain a strong private-sector role. “We’ve always paid for all our employees’ healthcare coverage, but we’ll be stopping that next year,” says Dyke Messinger, CEO of Power Curbers Inc., a 55-year-old maker of equipment for concrete curb and gutter builders. “The cost pressure, combined with Photo courtesy: Pitney Bowes 31 August 2008

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Managing Automation - August 2008 Contents Take 1 After 18 Months, the Oracle/SAP Suit Has Little Effect on Maintenance Sales At 100, Foxboro Reinvents Around Its Customers New Private Equity Firm Eyes Software A Software Suite Just for Manufacturers i2 Chief Focuses on Services Plan Notes It's Time for Action Examining U.S. Competitveness Leveling the Field An Unhealthy Situation Exploring Alternatives Math and Science: Key to the Future Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - August 2008

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