Secret meetings held on insurance problem

WASHINGTON, May 28 (UPI) -- A group of 24 U.S. health care industry, union and political group leaders have reportedly been secretly meeting to resolve the problem of uninsured people.

The New York Times reported Saturday the meetings have been held for months to seek a consensus on proposals to provide coverage for the growing number of people in the United States who have no health insurance.

The group reports making some progress in trying to overcome the ideological impasse that has stymied action on the problem for eight years.

The Times said the leaders first met last October and, although they did not endorsing any specific plan, they have discussed a range of options, including tax incentives for the purchase of insurance, changes in Medicaid to cover more low-income adults and the creation of insurance purchasing pools at the state level.

"This effort holds as much promise as any I've participated in over the last decade, probably more," Kate Sullivan Hare, executive director of health care policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce told the newspaper.

Asked what prompted the initiative, Stuart Butler, vice president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, said: "It's a coalition built of frustration. True believers on the left and the right have been stymied on this issue."