White House not ruling out taxing benefits, public plan compromise

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Jun 29 2009

Politico: "White House senior adviser David Axelrod says President Barack Obama would like to have a public option – or government-run insurance plan – as part of a health reform package, but will not insist on it.

'We've not gotten as far as we've gotten by drawing bright lines in the sand,' Axelrod said on NBC’s 'Meet the Press.' 'He's going to fight hard for that.' Later on 'Meet the Press,' Republican strategist Mike Murphy called that 'a huge concession.'"

Associated Press: "White House adviser David Axelrod said the administration wouldn't rule out taxing some employees' benefits to fund a health care agenda that has yet to take final form. The move would be a compromise with fellow Democrats, who are pushing the proposal as a way to pay for the massive undertaking without ballooning the federal deficit."

But if Obama compromises on that point, it would reverse his [campaign] promise not to raise taxes on those earning less than $250,000 ... At the time, his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was proposing a tax on health benefits similar to the plan Obama is now considering."

This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Posted in: Healthcare News

Tags: Health Care, Health Reform, Taxation

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jacksmith on White House not ruling out taxing benefits, public plan compromise

jacksmith says:

June 29, 2009 at 9:45 AM

America's national healthcare emergency!

It's official. america and the world are now in a global pandemic. a world epidemic with potential catastrophic consequences for all of the American people. The first pandemic in 41 years and we the people of the United States will have to face this pandemic with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed world.

Stand ready America to seize control of your national healthcare system.

We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the world. and individual american spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the world. All because of greed! and the private for profit healthcare system in America.

And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate profits! of our greed driven, private for profit national disgrace. a private for profit disgrace that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. and a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. if congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and request that president obama declare a state of national healthcare emergency! seizing and replacing all private for profit health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of national healthcare for all americans under the provisions of HR676 (a single-payer national healthcare plan for all).

Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. with immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. this is what the vast majority of the american people want. and this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the american people and our economy.

In mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. this has been the same results in the us. but 50 million Americans don't even have any healthcare coverage. and at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. which it does!

If president obama has to declare a national state of emergency to rescue the American people from our healthcare crisis, he will need all the sustained support you can give him. Stick with him! he's doing a brilliant job.

This is the big one! The battle of good vs evil! Join the fight. Contact Congress and your representatives now! and spread the word! God bless you

jacksmith - working class

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