WASHINGTON, D.C. – Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies, today announced its membership in the newly formed National Coalition on Benefits (NCB). NCB is working with Congress to protect employers' ability to provide uniform health and retirement benefits to employees, their dependents and retirees across state and local lines.

Business Roundtable serves on the steering committee of NCB, which seeks to ensure that federal health reform initiatives preserve the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

"Our members' companies provide health care for more than 35 million Americans in all 50 states. Quite simply, this would not be possible without ERISA," noted John J. Castellani, president of Business Roundtable.

"Thanks to the flexibility and uniformity of ERISA, our companies have pioneered best-in-class health care and retirement programs that truly enrich the lives of America's workers. As Congress seeks to effect health care change, it is critical that they preserve ERISA and, with it, the value of the employer-based health care system." Business Roundtable and NCB strongly support ERISA and together plan to advocate for:

• Employers' ability to offer and maintain uniform benefit plans across state and local lines;
• Flexibility for employers to best meet the needs of their employees and retirees;
• Predictability in benefits administration; and
• No exceptions, waivers or carve-outs for individual states.

As part of its commitment to health care, Business Roundtable has also partnered with AARP, NFIB and SEIU, representing consumers, independent businesses and workers respectively, to form Divided We Fail, a national effort that engages the American people, elected officials and the business community to find broad-based, bi-partisan solutions to health care and long-term financial security issues.