Nearly three-quarters (71%) of mid-sized to large companies intend to keep their health insurance plans in place for 2012, according to a new Towers Watson survey.

Following what the Obama Administration is calling “a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster” in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the president has sent Congress a legislative package, including a measure to raise the liability caps for oil firms.

In a plan the White House says “bridges the gap” between House and Senate health reform bills, President Barack Obama laid out a comprehensive proposal he feels will make coverage more affordable and accessible, while calling for greater accountability by stakeholders in the market.

After months of debate, Senate Democrats unveiled a comprehensive health reform bill that the president dubbed a “critical milestone,” but Senate Republicans warned is far from perfect.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved its plan for health care reform, the last of five proposals before Congress.