Business-World Divisions May Ease Path to Plan

The US Chamber of Commerce launched an ad campaign this week opposing health-care reform, but businesses are hardly united against the administration's proposals, the Washington Post reports. Wal-Mart was a high-profile defector, as was temp firm Kelly Services; both back an employer mandate. And many small and medium-sized businesses are open to reform, hoping it will cut costs or slow the growth of soaring premiums.

In Maine, one of five states the US chamber is targeting, the local chamber supports the proposals. “Most in the business community here have come to the conclusion that it's tough to accomplish at the state level,” says an LL Bean VP, “so there's a looking to Washington.” In Arkansas, the local chamber is staying neutral. “You’ve got a whole range of opinion that’s going to be hard to reconcile,” its president says. (More US Chamber of Commerce stories.)