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Bush to Meet with Auto Industry Leaders

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 25, 2006

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President Bush has finally agreed to meet with the CEOs of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group after more than six months of delays.

The White House has not announced a specific time for the meeting but auto industry officials suggest it would likely be November 14.

The auto industry leaders want to discuss health care costs, alternative energy and trade. The auto companies have insisted they aren't seeking a bailout.

Delays for a meeting, initially set for May have become an election-year issue in Michigan as Democrats criticize Bush for paying too little attention to the struggling U.S. auto industry.

The Big Three spend more than $10 billion annually on health care costs. GM and Ford have a nearly $100 billion accumulated health care liability.

GM is the largest private provider of health care in the United States, spending $5.3 billion to cover 1.1 million people in 2005. The company expects its health care costs to rise to $7.4 billion by 2009.

Ford spent $3.5 billion last year to cover 590,000 people, including employees, retirees and dependents. Its health care costs have climbed 67 percent since 2000 and the company now spends $1,100 per vehicle on health care.

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