Human Resources: EMPLOYERS, HHS LEAD PATH TOWARDVALUE-DRIVEN HEALTH CARE & CONSUMER INFORMATION

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 8, 2007 -The National Association of
Manufacturers, as a member of the Partnership for Value-Driven Health
Care, announced today significant progress toward changing the
marketplace and the way U.S. consumers access information on health care
quality and cost - a milestone in the move toward greater transparency.
Approximately 775 employers, including almost half of the top 200 U.S.
corporations - many of which are NAM members - have committed to the
value-driven health care movement.

The value-driven health care initiative was launched by Secretary
Michael Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Secretary Leavitt challenged employers to implement "four cornerstones
of value-driven health care": utilizing health information technology;
measuring and publishing quality and price information; and, creating
positive incentives for high-quality, efficient health care.

In less than a year, the development of the initiative has driven
employers, unions, federal, state and local governments to commit their
health plans to provide useful information to consumers about the
quality and cost of care delivered by doctors, hospitals and other
providers. During a roundtable discussion today with Partnership
members, Secretary Leavitt announced that over 100 million people are
now covered by plans committed to the program.

"We are organizing the health care market to achieve better quality
health care, at lower cost, for all Americans. That is the definition of
value," Secretary Leavitt said. "Yet until now, our health care system
has been marked by a lack of information to support value-based
decisions. Consumers have extensive information to help them make good
choices when they buy cars or get mortgages. But when it comes to
choices about their health care, little information about quality or
cost has been available. The purpose of the Value-Driven Health Care
movement is to make that information available, and then reward people
for using it."

In praising the effort, NAM Director of health policy Brian Maloney
said, "The high number of NAM member companies that have signed on to
the value-driven health care initiative demonstrates the leadership role
manufacturers are taking in providing cost and quality data to their
employees.

"We look forward to expanding this effort to advance transparency
throughout the health care system," Maloney added.

Secretary Leavitt discussed the employer's critical role in paving the
way towards high quality, affordable care in a recent interview on
America's Business, the NAM radio program that explores issues that
shape manufacturing and business in the U.S. and abroad. A copy of the
segment is available at www.nam.org/americasbusiness.

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's
largest industrial trade association, representing small and large
manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 10 additional offices
across the country. Visit the NAM's award-winning web site at
www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.

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