Sen. Baucus at it again: Tax employee health benefits to raise $32 billion a year.

[denem]

Democrat: Obama slowing down progress on health care reform

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama's opposition to taxing employer-provided health benefits has slowed progress on passing a health care reform bill, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee complained Thursday. Sen. Max Baucus says lawmakers need to come up with $320 billion over the coming decade for health care.

"Basically, the president is not helping us," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, after emerging from closed talks on the bill.

Baucus' criticism came on the same day the head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the health reform bills moving through Congress won't reduce long-term health care costs, in part because the bills don't include taxes on health benefits.

The comments by budget office director Douglas Elmendorf provided ammunition for Republican opponents of the two Democratic-sponsored measures made public so far, one passed Wednesday by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and one proposed this week by House Democrats.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/16/senate.health.benefits/

To find $32 billion a year, Baucus wants to adopt McCain's suicidal proposal from the 2008 election. The policy Obama, Biden and Clinton would not have a bar of. Fuck him.

[sasquatch]

1. Crack the whip, get those doughgies in line

[Cleita]

2. Baucus should have nicely been told to step aside while he still had

some credibility. Why is he still in charge?

[NightWatcher]

3. I dont get insurance where I work, so if I want to buy it, I have to with taxed income

If we are getting a good product, I dont have a problem being taxed for it, so why should anyone else.

[DrToast]

8. We should be taxed for it

Obama did a disservice by railing on that idea last fall. A lot of very smart people of all ideologies are for taxing health care benefits.

It won't happen, though. It's too unpopular.

[Autumn]

4. Hey how about

we end the wars. Problem solved, along with a lot of others. Fucking idiot.

[sandnsea]

5. $30 billion a year? Seriously??

Whack it out of defense. That is chicken feed in that budget.

Senator Baucus - YOU are not helping anybody and I'd swear you were trying to kill the entire bill with a tax you know everybody will hate.

[bluethruandthru]

6. I think the Bush administration "lost" that much every year!

How about getting rid of Blackwater? What'll that save?

[denem]

7. Funding fight rams up. Panels approves House Plan 26 - 22, 23 -18.

Baccus proposals unlikely to survive reconciliation, if that.

House Panels Approve Health Plans

WASHINGTON — The House Committee on Education and Labor approved legislation on Friday morning to remake the nation’s health care system by a vote of 26 to 22. Three Democrats crossed party lines and voted against the bill — Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, Jared Polis of Colorado and Dina Titus of Nevada.

The vote came eight hours after the House Ways and Means Committee approved the measure, 23 to 18, with three Democrats voting no. The dissident Democrats were Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota and John Tanner of Tennessee.

Democrats who voted against the bill cited such concerns as the tax increases, their effect on small businesses and the possibility that a new government-run health insurance plan might underpay doctors and hospitals by using Medicare reimbursement rates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/health/policy/18health.html?hp

Of the five Congressional committees working on the legislation, three have now approved it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. What needs to be done is to sunset the Bush tax cuts. Let them expire.

If we do that, we could use that revenue to pay for some health benefits.

I also agree that McCain had some good idea about taxing benefits. That's how it's done in England, Canada and every society with nationalized or socialized medicine. The citizens of these countries like what they have because they know that they are receiving quality healthcare.

I would for the federal government and taxes are taken out to pay for my high-option Blue Cross-Blue Shield PPO plan. I pay about $26 every pay period. Why can't Americans exercise that option if they want?

[SpartanDem]

10. They expire automatically in 2010

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. Good. They should not be renewed.