Republicans: Higher Taxes Are Not the Health Care Reform We Need

During the health care debate on the Senate floor, Republicans criticize the tax hikes in the health care bill, noting that they will raise health care costs for patients and doctors and damage small businesses at a time when our country is facing 10 percent unemployment.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Senate
• Republican
• health
• care
• reform
• debate
• insurance
• premiums
• tax
• increase
• unemployment
• doctors
• small business

[megarational]

@CPAsheldon I couldnt agree more that it would be good for both businesses and individuals if individuals didnt have to depend on their employer for h. insurance.

The public option would have been the perfect vehicle to accomplish that goal. It was one of the reasons behind the public option. But thanks to Republicans fighting arm in arm with the insurance industry you no longer have any hope of the public option.

[megarational]

@networkingdefence1

[networkingdefence1]

@megarational

You're right. The private sector doesn't have competion.. they treat us like dirt deny us coerage and the worst of all, deny kids coverage.. I'm happy obama is putting them where they belong.

[megarational]

What you don't seem to understand is that the public option is just an insurance plan that would be professionally administered and would operate under the same rules as private insurance plans. So its a red herring and deceptive to characterize it as "competition from government".

[CPAsheldon]

The government can't provide "real" competition in any industry. It might be able to do some things the same and then provide an unfair competition. That is why the public option is an unnecessary part and cost of the bill. If the government does so well that it provides better benefits that private insurers, those private companies will possibly conclude that they should get out of this business and go do one that will allow them to have more profits & perks like you mention.

[megarational]

Yup. And the public option gives yet one more choice.

(Something the insurance companies want to avoid at all costs. Such "real" competition might actually force them to curtail some of their corporate jets & multimillion $ CEO wages.)

[megarational]

The bills include tax credits for small businesses, not for individuals.

[megarational]

The founding fathers created State & Fed. governments to give people a voice and to achieve national & regional goals that people cannot accomplish as individuals. Governments have abused that. However, it will require government to step into the breech if the U.S. ever hopes to reach a goal of access to affordable h.c. for all citizens regardless of income.

[CPAsheldon]

The employees really pay for their own benefits now in lower wages. By requiring the individual to have some type of major medical coverage (giving them a subsidy or refundable tax credit) and a lot of freedom to pick different types of plans, as well as the ability to keep or move out of the employer plan at no additional cost, it would encourage more private insurance competition. All would be encouraged to find a plan perfect for themselves and not for a whole group of employees.

[CPAsheldon]

I do hope that these parts of the bill will work well if enacted as it is critically important to help small businesses and protect job losses. But when you look at the bigger picture it seems like we will only get a bigger government with many penalties and taxes. You must have a lot of faith in larger government.