Business Roundtable

Washington – Business Roundtable (BRT) today named Gary Loveman, Chairman, CEO and President of Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Chair of its Health and Retirement Committee.  Randall Stephenson, Chairman, CEO and President of AT&T Inc., will serve as the Committee’s new Vice Chair.

“Gary Loveman has been a leader on wellness and prevention, which are among the keys to delivering affordable, quality health care to American workers and families.  We are fortunate to have Gary leading BRT’s health and retirement policy effort,” said Jim McNerney, Chairman of Business Roundtable and Chairman, President and CEO of The Boeing Company.  “We are also pleased to have Randall Stephenson, whose company provides health and retirement benefits to more than 1.2 million employees, retirees and dependents, serve as Vice Chair.  Both Gary’s and Randall’s hands-on experience in providing benefits will help Business Roundtable advance innovative policy solutions that better serve all Americans.”

Caesars Entertainment Corporation and AT&T Inc. are industry leaders in providing health and retirement benefits to their employees.  Under Loveman’s leadership, Caesars Entertainment Corporation has put a focus on wellness, providing employees onsite wellness services and incentives.  Guided by the belief that the employees of AT&T Inc. are the company’s greatest assets, AT&T provides employees some of the most competitive health and retirement benefits in the industry.

“Business Roundtable has a longstanding commitment to improving the affordability and quality of U.S. health care and promoting policies that support retirement security,” said Loveman.  “I welcome this opportunity to work with Randall Stephenson and other BRT CEOs to advance reforms that will improve our health care system and make our nation more economically and financially secure.”

“Business Roundtable is a leader in advocating innovative health and retirement policy reforms to deliver greater value to workers and families and reduce health care cost growth,” said Stephenson.  “I am so pleased to join Jim McNerney, Gary Loveman and all the other BRT CEOs on advancing reform.”

Earlier this month, Business Roundtable released “Taking Action for America: A CEO Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth,” a comprehensive strategy to put the United States back on the path of strong economic growth.  Included in the plan are pragmatic, actionable recommendations for promoting affordable, quality health care and stable policies that ensure retirement security, including:

• At every opportunity, adopt policies that provide greater transparency to unleash consumers to reduce costs and seek quality health care services;
• Enact medical liability reform to ensure that patients do not lose access to physicians and a full range of health care services;
• Fix what is wrong with the current health care law, including eliminating unnecessary or duplicative requirements and eliminating unnecessary taxes on medical devices, insurance plans and pharmaceuticals that raise the cost of care without improving quality;
• Retain current retirement tax policy, with its strong, consistent incentives for employers and employees to contribute to defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans; and

Ensure that laws and regulations safeguard retirement fund assets. They should not subject employers to costly administrative burdens or penalties, unwarranted litigation, or excessive Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation premiums.