Politics

The '#1 Priority' for House Dems on Health Care

By Sunlight Foundation & Participatory Politics Foundation

David Dayen at Fire Dog Lake reports on a call with Rep. Joe Courtney [D, CT-2] that, at this point, the Senate bill’s financing plan to tax the most expensive health care plans (a.k.a “Cadillac” plans) is getting the most push-back from House Democrats in the negotiations.

“On a conference call put together by the Economic Policy Institute, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) said that he has the signatures of 190 Democrats on a letter opposed to the excise tax on high-end ?Cadillac? insurance plans, and that stopping this tax was the ?#1 priority? of the House of Representatives as they move to reconcile the House and Senate health care bills.”

House progressives have been fighting the Senate “Cadillac tax” plan because, they argue, it will hit many people in the middle class and especially union members who often have health plans of the highest quality. The House health care bill would instead finance the reform by charging a 2%-5% surtax on income above $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for couples.

Full post as published by Open Congress on January 06, 2010 (boomark / email).