The Honorable Max Baucus
United States Senate
Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Baucus:

On behalf of Business Roundtable, I want to applaud your effort to move forward with your colleagues to evaluate ways to lower costs and improve quality in the way health care is delivered to patients. The high cost of health care imposes an enormous burden on all Americans -- raising the cost of health insurance coverage for those who have coverage and those who do not have coverage. Business Roundtable supports policies that will provide greater accountability, enhance efficiency and create value for all consumers of health care services.

We strongly urge you to move forward in expanding the use of health care technology, dissemination of consumer information on the cost and quality of health care and comparison of the effectiveness of health care services and supplies; and promotion of changing payments by public and private payers, including Medicare, to reward value of services provided, not volume.

Business Roundtable believes many issues that were discussed during the Finance Committee’s roundtable discussion are consistent with our goals. The increased health care costs in the medical system mean we are paying more for less value. Health care costs are inhibiting job creation and damaging our ability to compete in global markets -- while putting a strain on the household incomes of many Americans.

We are anxious to continue our efforts in support of these principles in health care reform and urge all the members of the Senate Finance Committee to find ways to retain what is good about our health care system -- yet find ways to improve the value and reduce the costs.

Sincerely,

John J. Castellani