Steward's comments were part of a panel discussion that included U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash.; Jack McRae, AWB board chairman and senior vice president of congressional and legislative affairs for Premera Blue Cross; Fred Kiga, vice president of government and community relations for The Boeing Co.; and Cheryl Scott, senior advisor of the global health program for the Gates Foundation and former CEO of Group Health.
McRae agreed with McDermott's prediction that major health care legislation will pass Congress this year or early next year, and he said it would mark the third major leap in health care since World War II.
From what he's seen of the initial proposals, including one from U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., McRae said he agrees with 80 percent of the ideas.
Creating a so-called public option system, where the government unfairly competes with private insurers, is the major sticking point, he said.
"This is a major, major leap toward a single-payer program," McRae said.
McRae noted a recent report by the Lewen Group that estimated as many as 132 million people would enroll in a public plan, saying such a development could lead to the "demise or a huge reduction in the commercial marketplace."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the national affiliate of AWB, has created a Web site calling for meaningful, common sense health reform.
