Unions move toward health-care reform deal

Unions move toward health-care reform deal
Sun Jun 24, 2007 10:57AM EDT

By Nick Carey

CHICAGO (Reuters) - As rising health-care costs hurt workers
and retirees alike, America's trade unions are seen inching
toward a broad-sweeping agreement with U.S. corporations on
health-care reform.

"There is a growing recognition among unions that they can't
count on health insurance forever," said Joe Minarik, director
of research at the Committee for Economic Development, a
Washington-based business lobby.

-snip-

The CED is part of the Better Health Care Together coalition,
an unlikely mix of major companies such as Wal-Mart Stores
Inc. and unions that are usually at loggerheads on labor issues.
It was set up to find a compromise solution on universal health
care that is palatable to both business and labor.

Specific proposals on the ground are thin, but universal
coverage is expected to be funded jointly by employers,
employees and the U.S. government -- creating a solution that
falls somewhere between the current private sector dominated
U.S. system and Canada's state-funded health-care program.

-snip-