Universal Care: Doctors yea, Big Business nay

As we reported in this section in our May 2 issue, a majority of physicians favor a single-payer healthcare system. But if you work in a large medical group, chances are your employer doesn't think too highly of the idea. A recently released survey of 453 large US companies found that only 16 percent favor a single-payer healthcare system, and just 30 percent would support state legislation mandating coverage. Despite those numbers, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of big businesses would support some combination of public and private enterprise that takes into account government programs, employer coverage, and individual contributions.