Last business group to support Obama's health care reform backing away

It looks like no business groups are going to support the Dems Health Reform.

Without fundamental changes to the current health reform plans, the White House and congressional Democrats risk losing the last major corporate group that is standing by their effort: The Business Roundtable.

In an interview with POLITICO on Friday, Roundtable President John Castellani raised concerns about the effectiveness of cost containment provisions in the proposal, and the timing of various fees and taxes that ultimately could be passed on to employers that provide insurance to workers.

“If these areas aren’t improved the reform effort will not work and we need something that works,” said Castellani.

Castellani wouldn’t say how long the group is giving Democrats to fix the bill, but said, “We are going to be much louder and much more insistent on improving” the legislation.

Castellani’s comments are significant because the White House, including President Barack Obama, has often contrasted the Roundtable’s cooperative role with that of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is lobbying hard against the plan.

The Roundtable has 161 CEO members who oversee the largest corporations in America. Combined they have nearly $6 trillion in revenues and more than 12 million employees. They alone provide health care to more than 35 million workers and their families, which makes them one of the biggest stakeholders in the current debate.

By staying at the table, the Roundtable has lent credibility to arguments by congressional Democrats and the White House that the reform measure will not dramatically disrupt the private sector, or bring an end to employer-sponsored insurance programs. . . .