Dear Leader Reid, Speaker Boehner, Leader McConnell, and Leader Pelosi:

When 100 CEOs gathered in Washington last week for Business Roundtable's Quarterly Meeting, many expressed concern that Congress would need time to react to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Business Roundtable (BRT) urges Congress to withhold any legislative response or rush to judgment until the impact of the Court's opinion is thoroughly reviewed and understood.

More than $2 trillion is spent annually on health care in the United States, and the economic implications of the court's ruling and subsequent legislation could be enormous, coming at a time when our economy is struggling and unemployment remains unacceptably high.  Whatever the ruling, the nation would be well served by a "cooling-off period" that would allow elected leaders to fully consider their options.  A careful review of the court decision could then lead to hearings before development of a legislative response.

Public hearings would provide the opportunity to analyze the court's ruling, its impact on the economy and the health care system. Through hearings, President Obama and members of his administration could lay out their views while giving you time to solicit the views of consumers, the health care industry, insurers and business leaders.