Antonio Perez

Chair, Consumer Health and Retirement

Chairman & CEO, Eastman Kodak Company

Rising health care costs affect all American workers, employers and the government. Rising costs impact job creation, diminish the nation's competitiveness and reduce Americans' ability to save for retirement. As the ranks of the uninsured grow, more strain will be placed on government programs, discouraging prevention and delaying treatment.
The complex challenges within our health care and retirement system should be addressed through a combination of private market reforms and changes in government programs. Any solution must include a strong emphasis on improving the value that our system delivers to consumers.
In early 2007, Business Roundtable joined with both traditional and nontraditional partners in a "Call to Action" on health care reform and financial security. Divided We Fail, a coalition led by AARP, Business Roundtable, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), is a joint initiative focused on creating an environment that will foster the political will needed to encourage policymakers to find common sense, centrist solutions to health care and long-term financial security issues.
Bipartisan leadership will be needed to repair health care and help Americans save for retirement. The future health of our nation and our people rely on it.