Business Roundtable:
WHAT: | Key Senate and corporate leaders will: | |
| -- Call for prompt passage of the "Wired for Health Care Quality Act," which would spur adoption of a nationwide interoperable health information technology (IT) system; and | ||
| -- Release a compilation of data summarizing health IT's potential to cut costs and save lives. | ||
WHY: | Widespread application of health IT could produce annual efficiency savings of about $81 billion, with improved health outcomes bringing the total annual savings to $165 billion - enough to provide basic health coverage for more than three-fourths of the estimated 47 million uninsured Americans. Money aside, as many as 98,000 people die each year from medical errors that could be prevented with health IT. | |
WHO: | Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) Chairman of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee | |
Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Minority Member of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee | ||
Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications Inc.; Chairman, Business Roundtable Health & Retirement Task Force | ||
Ronald A. Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna Inc. | ||
WHEN: | Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 4:00-4:30 p.m. EDT | |
WHERE: | S-115, U.S. Capitol | |
CALL-IN: | 1-866-909-2663; Meeting Id: 7048085 | |
FORMAT: | Statements, brief overview of legislation, Q&A |
Business Roundtable (www.businessroundtable.org) is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with $4.5 trillion in annual revenues and nearly 10 million employees. Member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets and represent over 40 percent of all corporate income taxes paid. Collectively, they returned $114 billion in dividends to shareholders and the economy in 2006.
Contacts:
Joe Crea, 202-496-3288
or
Verizon
Alberto
Canal, 908-559-6367
