More coverage on Kerry's prosal to tax high end policies

[karynnj]

All pretty favorable

Here's the NYT

A proposal by Senator John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, would impose an excise tax on the insurers that issue policies like Goldman’s, with the expectation that the insurers would pass along most, if not all, of the cost to employers who buy the plans.

<snip>
Asked if Congress would tax high-end plans, Mr. Conrad said: “I think we’ve got to. Again, virtually every economist that’s come before us has said you’ve got to reduce that tax subsidy as part of an overall strategy to really contain costs.”

An aide to Republicans involved in the Finance Committee negotiations said the idea was “on the table in discussions as a serious effort by Senator Kerry to restart the conversation on bending down the cost curve.” Aides to Senator Max Baucus confirmed that he, too, was considering the proposal, and House leaders said they were as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/health/policy/27insure.html


Here's the Wall Street journal (that credits it to John Kerry and others - I think the "and" others means they think it is a solution that will work.)

"A proposal to tax insurance companies on their most-expensive policies appears to be gaining momentum in Congress and the White House, as lawmakers search for politically acceptable ways to fund a health overhaul.

David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, suggested on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the president found the idea "intriguing." "That was our big concern, that we not impose vast new burdens on the middle class," Mr. Axelrod said.

Other comments by influential Republican and Democrat lawmakers suggested that the idea has broader appeal than some other funding plans that have been floated, such as taxing individuals on their employer-provided health plans, or imposing a surtax on the wealthiest Americans.
<snip>
In recent days, Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) and others have floated the idea of targeting high-end insurance plans as a way to help cover the costs of a health-care overhaul. Mr. Kerry has publicly offered few specifics, but congressional staffers have suggested that options being discussed include taxing insurance companies or employers that offer such plans. It wasn't immediately clear how much tax revenue such an approach would generate

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124863649016781945.html