The health insurance industry's Campaign for an American Solution is serious and actively engaged in designing practical changes "that will not only make coverage more affordable for small businesses, but also make it easier for their employees to accept coverage when it is offered."

Tailoring plans that match benefits needed by employees of small companies is critical to the viability of both health care and business, she said.

Among the six options mentioned at the roundtable was a health-care tax credit for working families, an idea being endorsed by a special legislative task force assigned to develop fundamental changes to the state health-care system by the end of the year.

The tax credit would help employees who forgo coverage at work because they can't afford it and would provide financial support enough to allow businesses to re-offer plans or prompt companies who never have to buy coverage for their workers.

Another critical element that must be addressed in the coming new health-care era is portability, Ignagni said. More than a special tax account set up especially for medical services offered now, workers should have "real portability" of coverage with a new tax-free account that can be used to purchase any type of health-care coverage.

The idea is as complicated as any of the myriad issues facing health-care reform, she said. "All levels of private and public companies and agencies — local, state and federal government stakeholders — would have to be involved. But workers should be able to keep their coverage when they are between jobs."

Workers who can't afford to continue to carry the full premium costs when changing employment often drop coverage altogether. If someone goes without coverage between jobs, most private insurance plans require a waiting period and premium payments for three to six months before insurance will cover medical care.

Small business owners in Utah have repeatedly said that if they were able to trim some of the required benefits to fit their businesses, they could afford to offer coverage and perhaps reduce the lag time.

Ignagni said several benefits are mandated by state and federal government regulation, but that industry leaders have heard the same concern voiced all over the country and are working to make plans as flexible as possible.

Ignagni said insurers also endorse starting a new Federal Performance Grant to help states expand access to coverage to the 340,000 Utahns who are among the 45 million uninsured Americans.

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E-mail: jthalman@desnews.com