Obama is taking 2nd look at tax on benefits (To Pay for Socialized Medicine)

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune / The New York Times ^ | March 14, 2009 | Jackie Calmes and Robert Pear

[2ndDivisionVet]

"I was for it before I was against it." Where have we heard that before?

[2banana]

Wonder how many obama supporters now have buyers remorse...

[EGPWS]

The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for an overhaul of the health care system.

As long as the family doesn't make $250,000 I feel safe from taxation.

We were promised. ; )

[Cobra64]

I'm confused....

Why would the government TAX health benfits just to pay them out again through entitlement programs?

Oh wait... now I get it.

[Bertha Fanation]

Here’s where BO bites many of his liberal backers in the ass.

[Secret Agent Man]

They won’t care, they are the ones having the rest of us pay for their health care anyway.

[Rome2000]

In millions of dollars worth of television advertisements last fall, Obama criticized his Republican rival for the presidency, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for proposing to tax employer-provided health benefits.

That McCain sure knows how to run a lousy campaign.

Worst ever in American history.

[denydenydeny]

....since it is similar to one he denounced in the presidential campaign as "the largest middle-class tax increase in history."

I remember throwing things at the TV when this clown was shamelesssly demagoguing this issue.

Change! Change we can BELIEVE in!

[EGPWS]

"I was for it before I was against it." Where have we heard that before?

That was then and this is now. LOL!

[lowbridge]

many economists favor

And what about the many economists that dont favor it?

[Kozak]

This will push more employers to drop plans, increasing the uninsured, thus increasing the costs of his socialized plan while removing his proposed funding mechanism. F ing Brilliant!

[EGPWS]

This will push more employers to drop plans, increasing the uninsured, thus increasing the costs of his socialized plan while removing his proposed funding mechanism.

All that has to be done is to tax cigarettes to make up the difference.

See how easy that is?

[Colonial Warrior]

[Right_in_Virginia]

Is Obama considering taxing the part of the premium the employer pays for health insurance, the actual benefits the employee receives as reimbursements, or both?

[Kieri]

Wonder how many obama supporters now have buyers remorse...

Doesn't really matter. The media will never cover them, interview them or admit they exist. Nothing like bias by omission.

[screaminsunshine]

We must clean out the sewer that is Washington DC.

[raybbr]

It reads to me that he wants to tax the amount that the company pays in your faver as income.

[Osage Orange]

He WANTS employers to drop plans...

We WANTS cost to go up to the public...

He WANTS chaos..

He WANTS people to be screaming for the Feds to rescue them...

This is his little perfect National Health Care storm....

Remember....never let a good crisis go to waste.

[BillyBonebrake]

If you’re not outraged, you’re probably a Marxist.

[WHBates]

That is exactly what they want. For most people universal health care is a wonderful idea in theory. However, when they understand that they will actually have to pay for it and the realization of how much it will cost will quickly turn the tide against it.

Most people, even if thought that they would be tax on health benefits, didn't understand that the cost will include your cost as well as the cost that the employer pays. It will amount to a tidy sum in most cases even for crappy coverage.