Pfizer, J&J sign on to uninsured plan

Executive Summary

Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are among the proponents of a multi-stakeholder agreement to expand health coverage to the uninsured; the broad-brush proposal, unveiled Jan. 18 by the Health Coverage Coalition for the Uninsured, advocates a two-phase process, starting with a "kids first" initiative to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The second phase would expand Medicaid availability to adults and offer new tax credit incentives for employer-sponsored coverage. Two years in development, the policy statement "allows the new Congress to begin its work on health coverage for a proposal that already has the agreement of diverse advocates," the coalition states. Members also include America's Health Insurance Plans, UnitedHealth Group, AARP, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...