Businesses Brace for Health Care

They say that the mark of a true compromise is that nobody's happy. The Senate health care bill isn't perfect—many employers fear potentially expensive provisions in the bill—but in a sign that industry now views health-care reform as inevitable, many the business community are scrambling to massage the bill instead of fighting to kill it. Retailers are pushing for a longer delay before adding new employees to company-subsidized health plans; big employers are trying to modify a Medicare tax provision that will cut their earnings; and small employers are worried that new taxes and fees will push up health-care premiums. The 2,074-page bill looks as though it will be passed on Christmas Eve.