Do you have good health insurance through your employer? Bush wants to tax you for it.

[PA Democrat]

President Bush will propose in his State of the Union address a tax break for people who buy their own health insurance and a limit on how much coverage individuals can receive tax free at work.

The proposal to be announced Tuesday offers a tax deduction to people who purchase coverage and urges those with generous plans to either embrace cheaper insurance or pay taxes on part of it, according to a Bush administration official familiar with the proposals.

If passed by Congress, the plan would be the first time that workers could get a tax break for buying their own insurance. At the same time, it would be the first time that some employer-provided health care benefits could be taxed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

[billybob537]

1. Bush will be gone soon

and so will all his lunacy. He has no power without a willing congress. He should concentrate on apeasing the congress and avoiding IMPEACHMENT.

[Lusted4]

40. Just another right wing union busting tactic. I'll bet it excludes all Congress and

Federal employees.

[Clinton_Co_Regulator]

51. Agreed! UNION BUSTING

Gotta get his union busting badge.

[peacebird]

2. I pay extra to get the good coverage thru my job, why should I be taxed for that?

And why would I want to get a lesser insurance plan? Is he suggesting penalizing me for not taking the cheapest option?

This was a good catch on your part - I skimmed the article earlier and totally missed it. Thank you.

k&r

[seabeyond]

4. pay more to get more coverage and get taxed more? wacko world.

is he working that hard to bankrupt individual americans. underinsure yourself so a 100k emergency bill take you totally out of the picture along with the bankruptcy law they passed. what a formula for failure.

[PA Democrat]

7. That's what it sounds like to me.

I would bet that if more people were forced into high deductible health care plans, that a lot of people will skip regular check-ups and put off seeing the doctor until they have very serious problems. Doesn't sound like a good plan to me if you truly care about the health of Americans.

But then, I guess we all know that Bush could care less about the health of average Americans. His plan will increase the bottom line for corporations because many people will be FORCED to take a cheaper health care plan.

[abluelady]

33. We have such a plan right now.

And you're right--unless there is a BIG emergency, there's no way I'm going to the doctor. We chose a plan with a high deductible that we can afford to have insurance. But it is only good for big emergencies, which I'm taking the risk that that is all I need.

[LiberalEsto]

15. We should be able to DEDUCT what we pay

as our share of coverage, instead of being taxed for what the companes pay.

Just when you think the B*shistas have hit bottom, they go even lower.
:grr:

[hfojvt]

28. I think we can deduct what we pay

what I pay does not show up on my paycheck as taxable income. My YTD earnings are $1163. YTD (year to date) taxable earnings as $881 and YTD FICA earnings are $928. So I am not even paying FICA taxes on the $234 that I have paid for health insurance. However, that is something your employer needs to set up. I cannot do that on my own.

[napi21]

60. Hmmm, that sounds like you have a Health Savings Plan.

What is deducted from your wages as your portion of health insuranceis NOT tax exempt. We CAN deduct what wepay for health insurance, drugs expenses, etc, BUT on what exceeds 7% of income, and for most people, the Std. deductionis still higher than itemizing. It makes filling out your tax return easier, but it sure doesn't give any breaks for higher health expenses.

Shrub is up to not good with this proposal AGAIN!

[hfojvt]

61. No, it is insurance and this is the 2nd employer who has done it

It is not a deduction is is just that the insurance I buy through my employer is taken out of 'pre-tax income'. I think that's the term. So that money does not even show up on line seven of the 1040-A. If you are buying it on your own, then you don't have that option.

So actually Bush is right. The person making $25,000 whose employer is paying $500 a month for his insurance has a $6,000 deduction, or tax-free income that a person making $25,000 who goes out and buys his own health insurance does not have. But is is just like Bush to think that's a huge problem or source of funds, while a Wal-mart heir paying a low tax rate of 15% on millions of dollars of dividend income is not unfair. In fact, he proposed that dividend income should be tax free.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

65. Self-employed people DO deduct what they pay

but it hardly makes up for the monthly hit to the old cash flow at premium time.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Tax breaks for the rich; another kick in the ass for us working stiffs.

Same old, same old. It's another means to benefit the insurance companies, which are already among the most profitable corporations in the country. It won't fly, and it will only increase his unpopularity.

[OKNancy]

11. Hardly

Most people who have to buy their own insurance are self-employed small business people or laborers.
House painters, carpenters, the local auto mechanic and on and on.

[DemReadingDU]

5. who would this benefit?

the insurance companies?

It doesn't benefit the people who have health coverage from their employers.

It doesn't benefit people who already buy health insurance if they don't itemize their income taxes.

If Bush really wants to help people, he could have the exorbitant premiums deducted from total income prior to taxes (similar to a 401K plan)

[seabeyond]

8. a way for middle income to pay more tax vs rich tax decrease?

and get companies to quit paying healthcare?

[PA Democrat]

10. It would probably help boost corporate profits.

Some people would opt for the cheaper plans to avoid the additional taxes.

[mopinko]

48. benefits bill frist

and the big health care companies. it peels people off from the group plans which get deep discounts.

[thecrow]

49. It doesn't benefit the employers who pay health coverage

for their workers.
My costs to have good benefits will increase if I, an employer, get taxed
on my emploee health benefits.

It could wreck the business if I was a real small employer.

[PA Democrat]

52. I think it is the employees who will pay the taxes.

That's my reading of what Bush is saying. And it stinks either way. Health insurance is a tremendous expense for small business owners.

[GardeningGal]

6. Good thing there's a democratic congress.

I can't imagine they would pass the part of taxing the employee benefit. We'll have to keep on top of this one.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Bush? He has nothing to say about this matter.

But one has to ask why the Republican Party is trying to steer corporations away from offering quality healthcare to their employees. What is their major malfunction?

The Democratic Party ought to stand up and demand single payer universal health insurance through a government run non-profit insurance system. Medicare for all.

[Sir Jeffrey]

12. Is he trying to piss off everyone on purpose?

[Lex]

13. Sure seems like it sometimes.

:wtf:



_____________________

[PA Democrat]

29. I'll bet that this will go over as well as his plan to privatize Social Security

You know, I think it would be a good idea if Bush spent the next 2 YEARS traveling the country to try to sell this steaming heap of crap to the American people. People need fresh reminders that Bush doesn't give a damn about them.

Besides, it would ensure he has less time to devote to starting another war.

[tulsakatz]

14. now why would you want to punish people with better coverage?

the purpose of insurance is to protect you in the unlikely event of a major illness.

It just doesn't seem to make much sense to me.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Bush's best friend is incorporated.

I don't think this guy can relate to people.

[kitkat65]

17. The depths of this man's assholishness boggles the mind.

I mean really, all I can muster anymore is a pffbbbshh. I don't even bother capitalizing it.

[Eurobabe]

27. It's astounding isn't it. He can't come up with a strategery for Eye-RAK

Yet he has time to come up with all kinds of plans that fuck the little guy.

[Nikia]

18. Why does he want to interfere with private business?

Private businesses offer good health insurance because it is beneficial to have healthy employees who are productive and show up at work. Taxing this insurance underminds that purpose. I thought Republicans were supposed to believe in non interference with business.
It might be good to offer tax breaks to people who buy their own insurance if we cannot have non profit iinsurance plans. The purpose would be to help people who don't have employer based health insurance.

[charlie]

19. Bizarre, even for a Republican

Taxes were his daddy's Waterloo. Taxes and healthcare ought to be flashing DANGER DANGER to any pol with a smidge of self-interest. Wonder if he can get Good Buddy Lieberman to handle "bipartisan" point on this?

[tideroller52]

20. Healthcare tax

Let me see. Death tax unfair. Tax healthcare benefits, fair. HMMMM. Something I'm missing here.

This is so repugnant, I can't stand it. Encourage people to purchase inferior insurance. Limit choices and maybe these inferior, non-rich slugs will die off and leave more room for the rich.

The Shrub is totally unvelievable. Attack after attack on the middle class. When will it end?

I hate to wish my life away, but I can't wait for 2008 and his departure.

[antigop]

34. Welcome to DU, tideroller52! n/t

[newyawker99]

71. Hi tideroller!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[treestar]

21. Health insurance is important enough to be tax free

They have it for day care and tuition and all that.

As long as the self-employed can write it all off, so it's fair that way, there's no reason not to consider it that way. What he may be trying to do it uncouple it from employers - we should really separate it from that so that you can move freely from job to job and keep it easier in times of unemployment. The days when people work for the same company are gone, so tying it to employment so much is impractical and makes and all or nothing situation for the unemployed.

We should just have national coverage, though. The rich can always do better than the national health plan, but there ought to always be that fall back in a better and more efficient way than Medicare or Medicaid or whatever the hell it is (which is not there for the self-employed who may not be able to avoid health insurance).

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. Oh that should go over

like a lead balloon.

Why does Bush hate America?

[seabeyond]

23. and kerrys plan was simply to reward the company that provided good healthcare to employee

bad kerry, bad

[nashville_brook]

24. so, "good insurance" is now a luxury to be taxed along with yachts

might as well tell it like it is...

damn good thing this doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell with the new congress!

[partylessinOhio]

25. This is just more insanity. GET THE HELL OFF THE REARS of the working people!

Rise up and bitch, people. Tax cuts for the rich but endless new taxes on benefits? Is that goin'a fly with you?

Congress should be held in DC seven days a week until they get this Impostor and his war under control and our troops all back home.

More urgent is stopping his IranWar/Invasion/NuclearAttack/Slaughter which he is going to launch undercover of his surge.

Is Congress just going to lay back and watch another shock and awe? The media has been beating those drums for weeks softening up dumbed down Amerika.

[antigop]

26. And will this apply to members of Congress?

Or do they get a specific exclusion that exempts them from paying tax on their golden medical plan?

[wakeme2008]

30. DOA by both Repugs and Dems in Congress

:shrug:

[Bumblebee]

46. But it has "bi-partisan" support, I am sure. as in Bush + Senator Lieberman

again, and all the CONN insurance companies who helped elect the latter.

[abluelady]

31. And What About Us Older Folks

Not old enugh for Medicare, but I now have pre-existing conditions so I can't even get insurance without paying such absurd fees that a tax break is just a joke. When is this moron going to be gone? Do we have to wait two more years?????

[antigop]

32. Tell us about your "gold-plated plan", you idiot!

quote from Bu$h:

"It unwisely encourages workers to choose overly expensive, gold-plated plans. "

Yeah, tell us about the GOLD-PLATED PLANS THAT YOU AND CONGRESS GET!

[radfringe]

35. define "good health insurance"

my employer switched us over from an adequate plan to a sucky one last year

we were fed the "it will save you money" crap. Co-pays for doc visits and prescriptions are higher, plus our employee contribution is also higher.

If your primary doc sends in a referral to a specialist - you have to call the insurance company to make sure the specialist is part of the program, and wait for an approval form in the mail from the insurance company.

just to make things interesting - the snotty customer service person on the phone tells you that you can check their website for approved doctors and fill in the request for approval referral form, yet on the web site it tells you to check with customer service to make sure the doctors are still on the approved list and the form on the website is "under construction"

we do not have a choice of insurance companies - just a menu of "plans" from the same company

so you say "gee buy your own insurance plan" - HA! Tried checking into that - no insurance companies in the area are selling individual policies - they only accept group health enrollment

[antigop]

38. Oh, that's easy! Good health insurance is anything except a high-deductible policy

I'll bet that's what the definition is.

The GOP has been pushing high-deductible policies with HSAs (health savings accounts).

This is their way of forcing people into high-deductible plans.

[PA Democrat]

36. Bush: "And we need to do it without creating a new federal entitlement program or raising taxes."

without raising taxes"???? But that's exactly what he IS proposing to do by taxing the employee benefits which exceed a certain amount.

I am going send this article to ALL of my Republican/ Bush-voting friends and family members who have top notch health insurance through their employers.

[antigop]

37. Yes, exactly, he's raising taxes! Send this to everyone! n/t

[Bumblebee]

39. But don't you get it? Working people (with insurance) have to

sacrifice for working people (without insurance). What do you want -- sacrifices from the rich? That's communism! After all, slave owners never had to sacrifice for the slaves... That's why many in GOP are still so proud of the confederate flag. So Bush in a way is right there with the party's core principles.

Interesting also how he is doing his Daddy's read my lips all over again. He just cost GOP more millions of voters among the middle class... And needless to say, the deductables even in the best of insurances have been going up every year so people are paying more and more even without the taxation on their benefits.

The irony of it all: were we not told not to elect Democrats because they will raise our taxes?

As to the coverage, think about all the reporters this policy would directly affect... It's tone deaf beyond belief. A death wish by many, many cuts.

[PA Democrat]

42. Beware of Republicans promising to cut taxes for the middle class.

They usually just clobber you with a stealth tax increase. I recall Reagan's increase in Social Security taxes as a prime example.

[MzNov]

64. these crafty, slimey SOB's actually raise taxes without calling it that

by raising interest rates, fees, other costs, etc. etc. or generally add additional costs to us by taking something away. I'm no economist obviously, but I see how they operate.

This is a scam, just like his other scams.

[johnaries]

41. Decrease taxes for the rich but add taxes for the working class?

Yeah, this will go over well.

[Bumblebee]

45. I used to think, wait, they cannot be that stupid, they must be

pursuing some other, hidden, goals. After Iraq and Katrina I know they are simply plain stupid.

[antigop]

43. It's also an attack against unions who negotiate good health benefits

Unions can negotiate good health benefits.

This is a way to penalize union members for having good health plans negotiated by the union.

[LostinVA]

56. Bingo -- the first thing I thought of

Union busting.

[TahitiNut]

44. Relieve the terrible burdens on the Barons and Dukes by taxing the serfs more.

The appalling shift of taxation from those with unearned income (income from the labors of deaths of others) to those with earned income (from their own labor) has reached epic levels of imbalance in this country's history. Only before the Great Depression can we find anything comparable.

I cannot imagine this nation ever again achieving progress on economic justice without massive amounts of blood being shed. There has been absolutely no hesitation in the abominable predations of this cabal over the last 6 years. None.

[Bjorn Against]

47. Bring it on, I am so glad he is going to try this...

I am glad because there is ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE IN HELL THIS WILL GET THROUGH CONGRESS. What will happen is he is going to kill yet another Republican talking point, no longer will Republicans be able to claim they want to provide health care or lower tax rates to working families. This move will be extremely unpopular, and it will harm the Republican Party big time. I don't know how he can be so stupid, but it certainly going to help make him even more unpopular.

[Kansas Wyatt]

50. Let's just tax the Hell out of those who

Are sucking on the government tit, while building their family empires, personal power & wealth, and banking all of the fringe benefits their positions with the government has given them.

[noahmijo]

53. How exactly would they tax those of us who receive good insurance through our jobs?

Raise the deductibles? tax what the employer pays per individual and that chunk falls on the individual?


What a fuckin rube this moron should just spend the rest of his years in the WH playing with his game boy instead of thinking he's playing a good game of "presidenting."

[PA Democrat]

58. They would more than likely add the cost of the insurance over a certain dollar limit into your

gross income. They do this now for employer-provided life insurance over a certain dollar figure.

I can't see being passed into law. I am just amazed that the asshole would even propose this. It shows his utter contempt for working people.

[MzNov]

63. This scheme is even more transparent that the SS joke

Employers get better rates and more choices the larger the number of employees. Bush and his corporate pig cronies could limit your choices for one thing, then that big greedy corporation would raise the cost of your insurance double, maybe triple if you have to buy it yourself. Whatever tax break you get might be null and void for those who don't itemize, or contain some other way to screw the consumer.

It's another evil Bush nightmare/corporate crony scheme. Don't be fooled. when has Bush and the insurance criminals in this country ever done anything FOR the people? You can be sure we working stiffs will get stiffed even further. Get ready for a massive letter writing, phone call attack on your favorite elected representative !!

:mad:

[rodeodance]

54. Rangel does not like it:

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., is not embracing the idea.

`This is a dangerous policy that ultimately shifts cost and risk from employers to employees and could result in a higher number of uninsured," Rangel said. "The new, Democratic majority in Congress is interested in relieving, not increasing, working families' tax burden."

[lovuian]

55. He is going NO WHERE

with this BS

[tblue37]

57. The Republicans are not against taxes--as long as only the middle class and

working class have to pay them. Emphasize that Mr. "Tax-Cuts" is suggesting a new tax on middleclass and working class Americans--on their healthcare, yet, which everyone is scared to death about anyway.

[JerseygirlCT]

67. You're absolutely right. We need to be screaming about his

tax on middle class families' healthcare. Loudly and often.

[judaspriestess]

59. what an idiot

did it occur to him HOW MUCH the cost of medical care is to a patient after the insurance covers their part? 5K, 10K, 20K, 30K that needs to be paid pretty damn quick or it goes on your credit and then its ruined and God forbid you lose your job and try to find another one? So many companies are checking your credit now and will judge you incorrectly by whats on your credit, regardless of the circumstances.

And then tax you on better coverage?

God I hate this man. God please have mercy on my soul for my hate.

[Bluebear]

62. kick

[JerseygirlCT]

66. Pushing the costs from business to the individual

Anyone surprised?

[pitohui]

68. the costs are already pushed onto the individual

we have very expensive health insurance through my husband's job, without his job, we could not buy any health insurance at all at a price we could pay, as we are in our forties and live in louisiana, even though we have no "risk factors"

how do you tax us for something WE PAY FOR? a huge part of his paycheck goes out every time to the health insurance company as it is, we simply can't afford to pay "sales" taxes on top of it

i cannot get any job that offers health insurance at all because of my age

[JerseygirlCT]

69. Yes, that's true. I guess it's the blatantness of this that gets me

it's so very "in-your-face".

Do they have a great name for it yet, like "Patriot Act"?

[NMMNG]

70. He just wants to f*ck us over any way he can

I'm sure he'll consider every plan "generous". :eyes:

[BluePatriot]

72. WTF, are you kidding me?

I hope the Dems look him in the face and laugh. My small company sacrifices a lot to provide us with above average free-to-employee health care.