WASHINGTON – Wal-Mart, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Center for American Progress are urging President Barack Obama and Congress to move forward on health reform.

The groups said they support an employer mandate to provide healthcare coverage.

On Tuesday, leaders of the three organizations – representing the nation's largest private employer, the largest union of healthcare workers and a think tank frontrunner on healthcare policy – encouraged Obama and lawmakers not to falter as difficulties arise in forging a reform package.

In a letter, John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress; Andrew Stern, president of the SEIU; and Mike Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; said reform is necessary for the health of all Americans and to help maintain America's competitive standing in the global economy.

"We are entering a critical time during which all of us who will be asked to pay for healthcare reform will have to make a choice on whether to support the legislation," they wrote. "This choice will require employers to consider the trade-off of agreeing to a coverage mandate and additional taxes versus the promise of reduced healthcare cost increases."

Podesta, Stern and Duke said that loss of coverage pushes families to the verge of financial collapse. In 2008, half of all people filing for home foreclosure cited medical problems as a cause. A large and growing uninsured population also cripples America's broader economic growth.

They cited research published in the Journal of Health Affairs that says higher taxes and premiums needed to meet rising healthcare costs threaten to consume the benefits of nearly all economic growth over the next four decades.

According to a new analysis by the Center for American Progress, the U.S. economy is losing up to $244 billion every year in productivity due to the uninsured.

"From a business perspective, health reform could not be more critical," the three told lawmakers. "Fiscally, the growing cost of healthcare is poised to drive our federal budget over a cliff."

"We are for shared responsibility. Not every business can make the same contribution, but everyone must make some contribution," they added.

Podesta, Stern and Duke said their organizations favor an employer mandate that "is fair and broad in its coverage," but any alternative should not create barriers to hiring entry-level employees.

"Support for a mandate also requires the strongest possible commitment to rein in healthcare costs. Guaranteeing cost containment is essential," they said.