Trumka Blames The Senate, Republicans And Some Democrats For Controversial Health Care Tax

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Trumka Blames The Senate, Republicans And Some Democrats For Controversial Health Care Tax
Brian Beutler | January 11, 2010, 1:00PM


Speaking at the National Press Club this afternoon, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka blasted a controversial provision in the Senate health care bill, which would impose a stiff tax on high-end health care plans--a penalty that would impact many middle class workers and union members. From the prepared remarks: "thanks to the Senate rules, the appalling irresponsibility of the Senate Republicans and the power of the wealthy among some Democrats, the Senate bill instead drives a wedge between the middle class and the poor."

The bill rightly seeks to ensure that most Americans have health insurance. But instead of taxing the rich, the Senate bill taxes the middle class by taxing workers' health plans--not just union members' health care; most of the 31 million insured employees who would be hit by the excise tax are not union members.

The tax on benefits in the Senate bill pits working Americans who need health care for their families against working Americans struggling to keep health care for their families. This is a policy designed to benefit elites--in this case, insurers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and irresponsible employers, at the expense of the broader public. It's the same tragic pattern that got us where we are today, and I can assure you the labor movement is fighting with everything we've got to win health care reform that is worthy of the support of working men and women.

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/trumka-blames-the-senate-republicans-and-some-democrats-for-controversial-health-care-tax.php

[Vincardog]

1. Instead of TAXING insurance benefits why not REQUIRE them?

Make WalMart give insurance benefits to every employee and contractor.

[pattmarty]

2. Jesus, there are any number of things that could be done..............

...........that would be better than this so called "reform".

[Gman2]

3. It's called a poisin pill, and an expected outcome, of bipartisanship with NONONONONONO no

They set us up, with messiah expectation, then egg our immature brethren on, when we dont get every jot and tittle, we pout, and stomp. And the fucking cynical pukes salivate, as they know that they create dissaffected voters. They laugh at our stupidity, and our timidity. Ram it home Obama. And put all your druthers in there too. Tell the pukes to STFU.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[stuart68]

5. What an idiot !

When will someone hold Harry and Nancy accountable. great sound bite, blame the repubs. Good way to avoid the real issue. The Dems and Obama could not get the job done, even with a stacked deck.

[SandWalker1984]

6. Economist quoted by White House on health care reform received $780k from Obama Administration

I received the following email from firedoglake today:

For almost the entirety of the health care debate, the Obama Administration has relied on economist Jonathan Gruber to make the public case for its idea of reform - even the most unpopular parts. But as Firedoglake revealed on Friday, the Obama Administration has failed to disclose that it paid the same economist more than $780,000.

Jonathan Gruber's work has been cited by the White House, Members of Congress, and countless media outlets, but not once did the Obama Administration disclose it was paying him more than $780,000 in tax dollars. This is a huge ethical violation that undermines the entirety of health care reform.

Sign our petition to President Obama: come clean on Jonathan Gruber and anyone else receiving public money to push health care reform.
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/gruber?source=email01112010

http://action.firedoglake.com/gruber

Once we broke this scandal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, and other publications all said they should have disclosed Gruber's lucrative contracts if they were aware of the conflict of interest. Dozens of Members of Congress cited Gruber's work in their floor speeches. The White House pushed Gruber hundreds of times to the press and on its website.

While Gruber's ethical lapses are his own personal and professional issue, the true problem here is that the White House used Gruber and his research as a seemingly unbiased source in support of its unpopular reforms.

***********

Obama promised to make the Government open and transparent.

Another campaign promise broken.

[xchrom]

7. Recommend -- I'm gonna stand w/ trumka on this. Nt

[Better Believe It]

8. The union officials are preparing their surrender to Obama and the Senate on this.

President Obama and the Senate leadership will raise the insurance tax threshold a little bit. This little concession will be enough to give the union officials the excuse they need to support the Senate bill. It will be made to appear that they won something significant, almost historic!

However, the House tax on wealthy people which is supported by the labor movement, will also be dropped during discussions (I hesitate to call them negotiations) with Obama and Senate leaders.

[2 Much Tribulation]

9. Drivers a wedge between middle class and poor - YUP - & between all & great health care

Even though the tax probably penalizes some overpriced policies, it also definitely nails those really good policies that are also, therefore, more expensive. Thus we must all have swiss cheese coverage, the kind insurance companies can really make hay on.