HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry applauded Gov. Ed Rendell and state lawmakers for reauthorizing the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4).

"For more than two decades, the council has provided a valuable service to the Commonwealth's employers, citizens and health-care providers in its work to address both the quality and cost of health care," said PA Chamber Vice President Gene Barr. "Reauthorization was a priority for PA Chamber members. With the agency operating under executive order from the governor for the past year, this vote of confidence in its continued mission is welcome news."

The original law that created PHC4 expired in June 2008, but the governor had temporarily reauthorized the agency via executive orders through June 2009.

Act 3 of 2009 extends the agency's charter through 2014, and requires the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to issue a report to the legislature in 2013 on the agency's management and performance.

Established in 1986, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council is an independent agency funded by the state whose mission is to help address rapidly rising health-care costs in Pennsylvania.

PHC4 helps keep health-care costs down by:

• Collecting, analyzing and providing public data on costs and quality of health care in Pennsylvania
• Studying access to health care
• Making recommendations about health-care insurance mandates
• Providing comparative information about health-care providers
• Providing information to health-care providers, so they can make better decisions on ways to improve cost and quality

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The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association, with its membership comprising nearly 50 percent of the private workforce and crossing all industry sectors.