June 24, 2009

Board Member Chosen for Tonight's ABC Health Care Special from White House

Primetime - Questions for the President: Prescription for America 
ABC - 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.   Nightline - 11:35 p.m.

Chamber Board First Vice Chairman Jeffrey Scheininger, the president of Linden-based Flexline/U.S. Brass & Copper Corporation, will be in attendance for tonight's 10 p.m. White House airing of ABC's "Primetime - Questions for the President: Prescription for America."

Scheininger, chairman of the Platform for Progress Healthcare Coalition, will join 125 others selected from across America to participate in the health care reform discussion from the East Room of the White House. During the program, President Obama will answer questions from those with divergent opinions on how reform should be implemented.

Scheininger, who has been following this issue closely as both a Chamber Board member and a manufacturer who provides insurance to his employees, received an e-mail about two weeks ago from ABC seeking people interested in participating. He was one of thousands that responded and after a thorough review process he was selected over the weekend.

ABC News' Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer will serve as moderators and the program will air tonight from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The discussion will continue with the President on "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m.

Congress is spending the summer trying to reform the country's healthcare system to lower costs and insure more people. The President wants to sign a bill by October. Health insurance has become so expensive that a large percentage of employers can no longer offer it to their employees - and many workers, particularly younger people, are choosing to go without.  Costs have also been driven by numerous coverage mandates and unlimited medical malpractice awards. Here in New Jersey, the number of people provided insurance through small companies has shrunk by more than 111,000 in the past 10 years. Overall, at least 1.3 million state residents are uninsured, with roughly half of them being full-time workers.

The most controversial proposal being discussed in Washington is the creation of a public option insurance plan to cover 46 million uninsured Americans. However, one recent study suggests that 119 million Americans would drop their current coverage to take advantage of this plan, which could overwhelm the health care system and lead to higher costs for employers, government and consumers.