Tax Changes Coming

[bmichaelh]

In a recent salon.com article, Bush is thinking of eliminating the tax deduction allocated to corporations for providing health insurance to their employees.

If this happens, many corporations will drop insurance.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/11/20/tax/index.html

Does anyone think that this is possible?

[Warpy]

1. Of course it's possible

Dropping the deduction (while keeping it for individuals) will encourage corporations to "save" still more money by throwing their employees out into the cold of scrambling for private insurance, if they are healthy enough to get it, and giving the employees the equivalent of a huge pay cut to pay for it.

This will end tying insurance to employment, which may not be a bad thing. It will vastly increase the number of uninsured people, which is definitely a bad thing. It will hit anyone with a chronic illness (from allergies on through cancer) especially hard, as "affordable" health insurance becomes one of the worst jokes in the world.

The Bushbots, largely in that 34-49 cohort are still relatively young and healthy. 10 years from now their smug expressions will start to change and they'll start wondering what happened...

[Fovea]

5. I am already one of the ones who cannot get insurance

for any amount that I could afford, as I am disabled, living off disablity income.

That is why I must now look toward Canada or Europe for immigration, as
I am being told just to go ahead and die from the next stroke or heart attack. That's all I will be able to afford to do, without wrecking my family financially.

Yeah, that's some moral leadership we have now, isn't it?
That is a big part of why I feel so betrayed by America.
At this point for me, it looks like immigrate or die.

Fortunately, my S/O is applying to foreign graduate programs in civilized nations. Sorry guys, and good luck, but I cannot live in America anymore, literally.

On the bright side, I will be paying ~$500.00 in drugs and doctor's visits a month less to stay alive, to offset higher taxes.

[unblock]

2. just be prepared to scream TAX HIKE!

also look out for the repeal of the state tax deduction. this affects many blue states (and quite a few red states as well) but not texas and florida. hmm....

[eleny]

3. Seems like this will hurt smaller businesses who offer health insurance

Another Bush flip-flop. He talks a good game about being for small businesses and then stabs their employees in the back. Or do I have this all wrong? I just figure that employees won't be motivated to stay with that small business. Maybe most s/b's don't offer insurance so my point has no merit.

[NMDemDist2]

4. if you read the original WP article, they won't be able to do it all

it remains to be seen which ones they can push thru...