Bush proposing health insurance changes

Associated press ^ | Jan 20, 8:10 PM EST | By DEB RIECHMANN

[spikeytx86]

It's not keeping "your" money, it's forcing everyones rates to be higher including yours. Every deduction,loophole,and credit forces tax rates ever higher. We have a hidden welfare state in this country and it is called "The Tax Code". Screaming to keep a deduction that fosters rampant inflation in medical care and increases taxes is the very definition of anti-capitalist.

[spikeytx86]

Some people cant see the forest for the trees I guess. They scream about a non existent tax increase yet will fight to there dieing breath to preserve tax deductions that ultimately raise taxes it's incredible. The smaller one makes the tax base the higher tax rates need to be to exact necessary revenue. It reminds me of the poles where people are asked should entitlements be cut to balance the budget and like 75% agree, but when they name off individual entitlements it's 75% against. Like you said, people want something for nothing they want the other guy's pet program or deduction or credit to go never theirs.

[steve-b]

Every deduction,loophole,and credit forces tax rates ever higher.

No, it doesn't. There is an alternative. Because it is evidently profoundly alien to your way of thinking, I'll type it in slowly and put it in white font. I suggest that you sit down and SLOWLY highlight it so as to give yourself time to absorb this shocking concept:

The government could cut spending.

[spikeytx86]

You say I live in dreamland about a 10% tax cut but you think a $1 trillion dollar spending cut (equivalent to all the tax credits,deductions,and loopholes) is possible? Even Reagan was only able to slow government down to a crawl but was never able to fully cut the size of government, but you think $1 trillion dollar spending cut's will be easily passed especially with this congress?

[magellan]

"But another senior administration official notes that the deduction is higher than the cost of an average policy for families, which currently is estimated at $11,500."

That comes to $958/month. That is staggering.

I had a friend who was a laid-off airline pilot. He was offered COBRA (at close to $900/month), but found a policy for a family of four for about $400/month.

Note the airline pilot position was a union job, with union negotiate health coverage.

My employers (non-union) have offered polices at about $500-$600/month for a typical family, and paid about half of that expense.

Bush's proposal would tax (I assume as imputed income) employer provided policies over $15,000/year ($1,250/month). Most policies at this level only occur in union jobs.

This article points out how State of Michigan employees get policies of up to $16,000/year.

Morton Kondracke pointed out on Fox News tonight the same is true of GM and Ford auto workers in Michigan, which is why this Bush proposal is dead on arrival in Congress.

Now realizing how the real beneficiaries of employer provided health insurance are Democrat activist union members, I wish Clinton's proposal to require employer provided health insurance be considered imputed income had passed. I can also understand why it never even made it into a proposal.

The Demonrats are complete hypocrites on this issue.