The White House Health Care Reform Today January 7, 1994 * American workers continue to bear the burden of rising health care costs, according to a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey. Reuters reported that "the value of employee benefits rose faster than wages and salaries, and that companies shifted most of the increased cost of health care onto their employees." The survey -- of more than 1,100 companies employing more than 2.6 million workers -- found that while company health costs rose only one percent, employees paid 9 percent more in 1992 than they did in 1991. Meaningful health care reform must help bring health care spending under control so that workers can finally begin to see wage increases again. The Health Security Act includes strong measures for controlling health care costs and insuring that health care remains affordable for both businesses and workers. * Yesterday the Chicago Tribune reported that health care would "likely remain a robust source of jobs." John Cabral, a planner at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development predicted that if health reform results in health insurance becoming available to those who now lack it -- thereby increasing their access to medical care -- "we will have a boom in the industry." This latest report confirms the findings of previous studies-- health reform will result in more jobs in health care, not fewer. * The AARP on Wednesday urged Illinois Governor Jim Edgar to support the President's plan to bring greater security and health care coverage to older Americans. AARP Illinois director said "Health care reform should be the number one priority on the state's legislative agenda. There's no question that Congress will approve some sort of national health reform legislation this year." We agree, and welcome the AARP's continued call for health security for all Americans. * On a final note, we welcome Representative Bill Thomas and his co-sponsors to the health care debate: we applaud their bill as recognizing that universal coverage is an absolute must for meaningful reform, and look forward to working together to decide on the best way to get there.