CEO of Kelly Services, Carl Camden, has an excellent piece up on The Huffington Post making the business case for health reform. Camden made a similar argument at an event earlier this year co-sponsored by New America, the Committee for Economic Development, and Better Health Care Together. Check out video from that event below and read excerpt from Camden’s latest piece after the break:

From The Huffington Post:

Every year companies make strategic decisions about where to invest and grow jobs. The cost of health care plays a large role in these choices. Increasingly, it makes less sense to grow jobs in America because of the cost of U.S. health care. Hundreds of my colleagues are reaching the same conclusion. How can we get our economy moving again if our nation's corporations are forced to invest in job growth elsewhere? […]

The percentage of Americans voluntarily engaging in entrepreneurial start ups is falling. At the same time, many other countries are catching up or exceeding the U.S. Our economy cannot thrive if thousands of people are electing not to start a new business because of health care.

Health care is the issue that jeopardizes worker productivity and creativity, key sources of the U.S. economy's global competitiveness. Today, too many employment decisions are motivated by health care access rather than where our citizens can make innovative and productive contributions to society. […]

Our nation's economy faces many immediate threats. It also faces many long-term challenges that must also be addressed before we can truly rebound from these economic crises. If you are worried about job growth and competitiveness, you should be working to fix our health care system. Health care reform is a challenge that must be met.

For more on the burden of employer health costs in a global economy check out this policy paper from New America’s Len Nichols and Sarah Axeen.