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Will Obama Tax Your Health Benefits?
ABC News ^ | May 12, 2009 | Teddy Davis

Posted on 05/13/2009 6:51:25 AM PDT by re_tail20

President Blasted McCain on This Issue, but Experts Say It Could Help Pay for Reform

During last year's campaign, Barack Obama poured millions of dollars into television ads attacking John McCain for wanting to tax employer-provided health care benefits.

But now that Congress is beginning to consider ways to fix the health care system, a concept once pilloried by Obama is being placed on the agenda by a key member of the president's own party.

Under current law, any money spent on employer-provided health plans is excluded entirely from employee's taxable income.

"That tax provision should be on the table, because it currently is, too regressive. It just skews the system," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the chair of the Senate Finance Committee. "I do not favor eliminating it. . . But I do think it needs to be trimmed, limited, looked at."

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: 111th; agenda; benefits; bho44; bhobudget; bhotaxincrease; buyersremorse; healthcare; healthinsurance; obamabreakspromises; obamaflipflops; obamalies; second100days; taxandspend
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1 posted on 05/13/2009 6:51:26 AM PDT by re_tail20
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To: re_tail20

Of course he is, if someone doesn’t have it, he’ll tax the others that do have it to make all “fair” and “for the greater good.”


2 posted on 05/13/2009 6:52:49 AM PDT by madison10
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To: re_tail20
The usual government response: punish the responsible people, reward the irresponsible people.
3 posted on 05/13/2009 6:54:12 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam is a religion of peace, and Muslims reserve the right to kill anyone who says otherwise.)
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To: re_tail20

Aside from showing what a hypocrite Obama is, which we already know, this is actually the one good thing about this whole health care debate, if it’s done.

It’s what we’ve been advocating - to gradually go back from third party payments based to first party payments based.

But I don’t think we want it at the price of an Obama government health plan along with it. The risks are just too great.


4 posted on 05/13/2009 6:54:16 AM PDT by re_tail20
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To: re_tail20

Pretty much taxing anything a citizen has :(

“If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free.” — P.J O’Rourke


5 posted on 05/13/2009 6:54:25 AM PDT by Freedom56v2
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To: re_tail20

Has anyone really sat down and figured out what the true cost of health care is? If we keep things simple.....we have 300+ million people in this country. If each one payed $1.00 a month, for 12 months.........that’s one hell of a lot of money. Now figure it at $10.00 a month per person.........the numbers are staggering.

As for taxes, our President will attempt to tax us for everything he can. He needs to be stopped now.


6 posted on 05/13/2009 6:55:45 AM PDT by RC2
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To: madison10

I think I sort of agree with McCain & Baucus on this one - it’s the tax deductabilty that has been the incentive for employer-provided health plans. That, in turn, has helped lead us to where we are now, stupidly considering nationalized health care.


7 posted on 05/13/2009 6:56:37 AM PDT by ghost of nixon
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To: re_tail20
Will Obama Tax Your Health Benefits?

Will Obama tax everything?

There fixed it.

8 posted on 05/13/2009 6:57:24 AM PDT by svcw (The prerequisite for receiving the grace of God ... is knowing you need it.)
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To: re_tail20

Why do you think this is a good idea? Why is taxing any benefit a good thing? We are moving to first party being the government? If first party is me, fine but not the government because they will start dictating who can get it for what purposes, what healthcare workers get paid etc. Bad idea IMHO.


9 posted on 05/13/2009 6:57:35 AM PDT by Freedom56v2 ( If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free.” —)
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To: re_tail20

Congress and the Senate better taz their own health care too. I bet they don’t.


10 posted on 05/13/2009 7:00:20 AM PDT by 70th Division (I love my country but fear my government!)
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To: re_tail20

I’m really getting fed up with this commie creep in the White House.
The man is spending money like a ghetto rapper with a stolen credit card, and we’re the ones who will have to pay the bill.


11 posted on 05/13/2009 7:00:46 AM PDT by BuffaloJack (To stand up for Capitalism is to hope Teleprompter Boy fails.)
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To: re_tail20
"I do not favor eliminating it. . . But I do think it needs to be trimmed, limited, looked at.

Ah yes, the ole trim it and look at it a bit ruse........

12 posted on 05/13/2009 7:03:58 AM PDT by umgud (Look to gov't to solve your everday problems and they'll control your everday life.)
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To: umgud

It’s the law in MA that I must purchase health insurance. So, on top of that they want to tax my employers contribution. And this is to pay for someone else, who isn’t coerced by the government? I lose twice for working.


13 posted on 05/13/2009 7:07:14 AM PDT by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: ghost of nixon

I think you should seriously rethink that last statement!


14 posted on 05/13/2009 7:07:31 AM PDT by Redleg Duke ("Sarah Palin...Unleashing the Fury of the Castrated Left!")
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To: re_tail20

Yep, raising the cost of health insurance is a surefire way to get more people insured.


15 posted on 05/13/2009 7:08:36 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: re_tail20

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Snort
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

To all those deluded folks who voted for Zero thinking someone else’s taxes would be raised......


16 posted on 05/13/2009 7:11:58 AM PDT by Kozak (e)
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To: re_tail20

I am against the tax free health care provided by employers. It results in a system where health care is provided primarily by employers, instead of individuals buying health care off the market. As of now, individuals pay more than companies for equivalent health care.

As strange as this sounds, I want a bunch of the health care regulations eliminated and have Walmart provide low cost health care with extensive price sheets.


17 posted on 05/13/2009 7:19:14 AM PDT by linbiao123
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To: RC2

Im sure they’ve done the maths. They know how much extra $$ this is going to bring in. What they’re not saying is its already spent and on things you wouldn’t necessarily approve of.


18 posted on 05/13/2009 7:20:24 AM PDT by 556x45
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To: ghost of nixon
...it’s the tax deductabilty that has been the incentive for employer-provided health plans. That, in turn, has helped lead us to where we are now, stupidly considering nationalized health care.

First, I agree that employers should not be offering medical insurance. They do not offer car insurance.

Second, taxing benefits will absolutely have the effect you want.....employers will opt out of providing medical insurance and will push all employees onto the government system (which will be offered as an alternative at first).

Once all the private insurers are out of business, we have complete socialized medicine.

19 posted on 05/13/2009 7:26:21 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: re_tail20
President Blasted McCain on This Issue, but Experts Say It Could Help Pay for Reform

Hoist him on his own petard.

20 posted on 05/13/2009 7:35:48 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (What happened to the end of the politics of personal destruction that Obama claimed to be bringing?)
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