Posted on 03/04/2009 3:42:43 AM PST by tobyhill
A senior Senate Democrat said Tuesday he would consider taxing U.S. workers on their employer-sponsored health insurance to help pay for extending coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.
"I think that tax provision should be on the table," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, who will play a major role in writing the legislation to revamp the U.S. healthcare system as promised by President Barack Obama.
"It's too aggressive. It skews the system," he said of the tax benefit.
Most U.S. workers with health insurance get it through their employers -- 160 million of them -- although recent surveys have shown that number is declining as businesses try to cope with the rapidly rising cost of insurance.
The employer-provided benefit is not taxed as income and critics say the tax break encourages workers to seek a more generous benefit package than they might want if it was taxed.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
No Sh*t Sherlock! I for one don't scrimp on health care - why should I?
Trying to drive the sheeple to the Obama’s Universal Health plan.
“A senior Senate Democrat said Tuesday he would consider taxing U.S. workers on their employer-sponsored health insurance to help pay for extending coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.”
Remember when 0bama and the MSM lambasted McCain’s health care plans because it included a tax on health care benefits?
Don’t look for the same level of outrage anytime soon.
The effect of this will be to have employers reduce the benefit and charge the workers its full cost. No increased tax will come to the government.
Will health plans of unionized workers be taxed?
Would Congress members and FedGov workers plans get taxed also?
I think I know the answer already.
That POS Obama ran against McLame with the talking point that McLame was going to tax health care benefits and he would not. Amazing a deceitful politician.
TRANSLATION: DEMOCRATS LIE!
“If ya walk too much they’ll tax your feet”.
Time to overthrow this govt.?
Oppressive taxation is as good a reason as any.
Exactly.
Asmoreemployersdon ot cover their employees because ofalready skyrocketing costs and other Government taxes thismoron wants tocauseMORE people to lose healthcare coverage.
Is it something in the DNA with liberals? Is it a mental disease?
Remember during the campaign it was Obama who kept saying the McCain plan would tax health benefits? That was a scare tactic. Now if you have it, he taxes it.
This is the same idea as the carbon tax on utilities where the money would be used to pay utilities for some. I see a trend.
They’re probably going to tax it on both sides, employer and employee...so this is a tax increase for “average” income folks and for small business. Most small business owners would probably quit offering it if it doesn’t yield tax benefits. Larger businesses would pass on the tax increase to the employee in the form of less contribution to the plan...so the employee will lose twice, once on increase in taxes, and another on having to pay a greater percentage of your benefits.
Yeah, but 95% of Americans will get a tax break, right? LOL.
That’s a very good question. Like so many retired military, I use TRICARE. Its a government run health care program but designed for retired military and their families, reservists and their families, and the dependants of active duty. My premiums are very low but the low cost can be considered a result of the “broken promise” of lifetime free medical care for those who retired from the military. I have already read on several military oriented blogs and websites to expect up to a 100% increase in my TRICARE premium. To raise my premium and then tax the portion the government pays will be a heftly burden.
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