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Health Care Tax Would Hit Chevy Plans, Not Just Cadillac
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Here’s a look at some of the latest news across the country on health care reform:
Following his address to the National Press Club on the nation’s jobs and economic crisis, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and other union leaders met with President Obama at the White House to discus how the final health care reform legislation should be shaped, especially the tax on working families’ health benefits that is part of the Senate-passed bill.
The New York Times reports that during the hourlong meeting, Obama repeated his support for some form a health care benefits tax, but “used Monday’s session to search for a sort of compromise.” In a statement following the meeting, Trumka said it was “frank and productive meeting between friends on moving forward on health care reform.”
• Allan Sloan, senior editor at Fortune magazine (hardly a pro-union, left-leaning, tax-the-rich journal), writes in a Washington Post op-ed today that despite claims that the tax on “Cadillac” health care plans would finance health care reform, more than 80 percent of the money to finance the plan would come from individuals paying higher income, Social Security and Medicare taxes—and the biggest portion of that money would come from people who make less than $200,000. Sloan adds:
The impact on people in the $1 million-plus range—most of whom probably really are rich—is relatively trivial.
• Several studies show the tax on workers’ health benefits impacts regular folks with basic “Chevy” plans and likely won’t result in employers returning the tax to workers in the form of higher wages. Studies also show that no one really knows if the benefits tax would reduce overall health care costs.
• While pundits have been pontificating about the mostly cons of the tax on workers’ health care, everyday folks have more down-to-earth descriptions. Check out the comments’ section following Art Levine’s recent Truthout post about the possible political fallout if the tax lives. Real anger there.
• Who really spawned this awful idea to tax working families on their health benefits? PaulVA at Daily Kos reveals it was the gleam in the eye of the Heritage Foundation in 1973 and was given birth by Ronald Reagan when he proposed it in 1985. However Reagan, showing his political savvy,
dropped this tax like a hot potato once he found out it was so unpopular.
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18 Comments
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The Obama “Health Care Reform” legislation is completely corrupted by corporate bribes and should be defeated. That the AFL-CIO continues to support this legislation, even after the unanimous vote by delegates to the Pittsburgh AFL-CIO convention for “single payer”, despite all the terrible provisions which have been discussed, is just incredible.
Here is just one story that documents just how corrupt Obama and the Democrats have been. The facts keep coming out!
This is from CommonDreams.org:
Published on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 by Raw Story
Obama Received $20 Million from Healthcare Industry in 2008 Campaign Almost three times the amount given to McCain
by Brad Jacobson
While some sunlight has been shed on the hefty sums shoveled into congressional campaign coffers in an effort to influence the Democrats’ massive healthcare bill, little attention has been focused on the far larger sums received by President Barack Obama while he was a candidate in 2008.
A new figure, based on an exclusive analysis created for Raw Story by the Center for Responsive Politics, shows that President Obama received a staggering $20,175,303 from the healthcare industry during the 2008 election cycle, nearly three times the amount of his presidential rival John McCain. McCain took in $7,758,289, the Center found.
The new figure, obtained by Raw Story through an independent custom research request performed by the Center for Responsive Politics — a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics — is the most comprehensive breakdown yet available of healthcare industry contributions to Obama during the 2008 election cycle.
Currently, the Center’s website shows that Obama received $19,462,986 from the health sector, which includes health professionals ($11.7m), health services/HMOs ($1.4m), hospitals/nursing homes ($3.3m) and pharmaceuticals/health products ($2.1m). Miscellaneous health donations (from which Obama received $860,411) are also factored into the current total health sector numbers but are not accessible on the site.
Health insurance industry contributions, however, are not included within the Center’s current health sector totals. Rather, contributions from the health insurance industry are contained within the site’s finance and insurance sector. Seeking a more complete total, the Center culled health and accident insurance donations from this sector (for which Obama received $712,317) and combined them with his existing health sector total ($19,462,986) to arrive at his healthcare industry total ($20,175,303).
…
Read the full story here:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/01/12-9
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By defeating this bill now, before the 2010 election, perhaps
every politician running for re-election could be queried about their “health care reform”. Perhaps these crooks could be
recalled or thrown out of office, with a mobilization of every outraged victim of these corporate gangsters.
Please call in and say ‘NO!” to Obama’s corporate greed “HEALTH CARE REFORM!” that will further rip-off and impoverish working people.
Better that NOTHING BE PASSED this session of Congress, rather than further enrich these crooks.
LET THE POLITICIANS KNOW THAT THE LINE IS DRAWN HERE, THAT THEIR POLITICAL LIVES ARE AT STAKE!
Call them to DEFEAT THE HEALTH CARE REFORM in all it’s monstrous forms!
CALL TO SUPPORT “SINGLE PAYER” MEDICARE FOR ALL!
You get 3 chances to communicate your opinion TOLL FREE! Let BOTH US SENATORS and the single REPRESENTATIVE know your views in 3 quick calls.
In my case, I urged a NO VOTE to California Senators Feinstein and Boxer (up for re-election this November) and Representaive Henry Waxman (30 th District Santa Monica, W.LA up for re-election again.)
Warnings were made to Boxer and Waxman that a vigorous opposition to their re-election this November 2010 would be mounted especially if they vote in favor of any variation in Obama’s corrupt “Health Care Reform”.
Here is an article from the World Socialist Web Site (wsws.org) on Obama meeting President Trumka and other union officials.
Obama meets with AFL-CIO to push for cost-cutting health care overhaul
By Jerry White
13 January 2010
With popular opposition to the administration’s health care plan growing, President Obama held a private White House meeting with leaders of the US trade unions Monday to shore up support for corporate-backed measure, which will roll back health care for tens of millions of working and retired people.
A new CBS poll released Tuesday showed support for the bill has fallen to an all-time low of 35 percent. Nearly half the respondents criticized the legislation for failing to “regulate the insurance industry.”
Among those attending the meeting with Obama was the new AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Teamsters President James P. Hoffa, and Gerald McEntee of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Trumka described the event as a “meeting of friends trying to solve problems.”
The union executives reportedly urged Obama to trim back the unpopular proposal to tax the health care plans of millions of workers with employer-paid benefits. Obama shrugged off their pleadings and told the officials he continued to support the tax, which is included in the Senate version of the health care bill.
Speaking about the meeting, a senior administration official told the New York Times, “The president was very clear that he thinks this [tax] is a critical part of bringing down costs in the long term and bending the curve.”
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(full article here:)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jan2010/heal-j13.shtml
Did the calls in Missouri. Alas, Claire M’s office did not take call for some reason—voicebox full. Odd, I did not think today was a federal holiday; maybe a sick day for all the staff you think?
Perhaps if I was a lobbist from Wall Street I could have gotten thru to senator’s office.
Folks need to report folks not taking calls on this important issue and I will call local senator’s office.
This just in… During the 2008 prsidential campaign Obama received $20 MILLION from the HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY.
3X the amount McCain received, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. THANK YOU Jerry Wells and all my other Brothers & Sisters! ATTENTION, PRESIDENT TRUMKA, not ALL the rank & file are sheeple! President Obama presides over the BIGGEST “CATHOUSE” in the world, a BI-PARTISAN BROTHEL which sits atop CapitAL HILL.
I’m afraid it’s too late. The Democrats lack the spine to push for health care that includes a robust public option, and one that taxes the very rich to pay for it. The reason that interest in the current health care proposal is waning and why the Democrats are losing ground in popularity is for that very reason; the American people see no visible evidence of strength of character among the Democratic leadership and recognize they’ve sold their souls, eliminating any interest in promoting the best possible health care program for the American people. The special
interests have compromised President Obama and the Congressional Democrats and corrupted the legislative process; they won and the people have lost again. Weakness will likely bring an end to the majority status of Democrats in both the Senate and the House.
Building Bridges Radio: Your Community and Labor Report
National Edition
Produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg
**************************************
Nation’s Largest RN Organization Says Healthcare Bill Cedes
Too Much to Insurance Industry
With
Jean Ross, Co-President, National Nurses United
National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, criticized the healthcare bill passed by the U.S. Senate saying “it is tragic to see the promise from Washington this year for genuine, comprehensive reform ground down to a seriously flawed bill that could actually exacerbate the healthcare crisis and financial insecurity for American families, and that cedes far too much additional power to the tyranny of a callous insurance industry.” NNU believes that the bill seems more likely to
be eroded, not improved, in future years due to the unchecked influence of the healthcare industry.
*********
San Francisco Hotel Workers Heat Up the New Year
Produced by
The Labor Video Project
Over 1400 hotel workers and their community allies demonstrated in down-town San Francisco, on Jan 5 against major hotel corporations’ refusal to settle fair contracts. They were joined by Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, and UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm, who along with over
150 union members and community supporters sat down in front of the Hilton Hotel to launch a customer boycott of the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. The action comes after nearly five months of negotiations and street actions (including strikes), in which Hotel Managements have called for cutbacks while
the workers have been seeking modest increases to sustain health care and retirement benefits. Meanwhile, despite the economic downturn, major hotel companies have continued to prosper.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
To Download or listen to this 27:49 minute program,
go to http://www.buildingbridgeradio.org
The truly sad part of all this is no one listens to us.Our union leadership will again back the same people that have sold us out in the next election and they won’t ask you who to give your the money to.I would venture a guess that most incumbents will be re-elected. It seems to me we do not learn from our mistakes many of these people have screwed us over for 20 or more years and we send them back everytime.What’s the answer I do not know but it certainly isn’t replacing Dems for Rep’s.They are one and the same.Blame me,blame you,blame us all.
obamacare will destroy america, just like obama will. the union made a big mistake by backing obama, not that mccain would have been much better
Obama is not destoying America, capitalism is, as it is destroying the rest of the world. McCain just feels he can do it faster.
America 2010: Our system of public “education” prepares students to be good at nothing but video games. There are no jobs for them, and no prospects other than joining the military. There are plenty of jobs for them there, because, unlike every other sector, THE WAR INDUSTRY IS BOOMING. It seems there is never a lack of countries to invade, especially if the war is against “terror”. And guess what? – Those video game skills are just what is needed for information-deprived soldiers to send drone planes half a world away to kill civilians, or children, or resistance fighters, or a wedding pary — it doesn’t matter, because WE ARE CALLING THEM TERRORISTS. The soldiers recieve free government health care, which apparently all the politicians agree is not the best way. Where is the proposal to force all the soldiers to buy expensive, shitty private insurance out of their own pockets? Add that to this bill, and I will support it, because half of the reason kids join the military will be gone. Maybe then less of our kids will be going crazy because in order to get a job with health care they have to slaughter impoverished innocents abroad and call it freedom.
Kill Bill.
The call-in blitz was a great idea but will it accomplish anything? It won’t if we aren’t ready to tell our elected officials that we will vote them out of office if they support this tax or any other scheme that penalizes workers for the failure of government. We need to forget about labels such as Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, moderate, etc. and ask “What have you done for us?” when we cast our votes. Despite what they say, neither major political party is pro-union or pro-worker but rather pro-vote. Politicians will promise anything to get elected. Remember that talk is cheap but actions count! All working men and women, union and non-union alike need to stand together and oppose any government attempt to take away what we have worked for and earned. We support ourselves and our families and make this country and economy run. We are not the problem.
the unions backed obama now they have to live with it. obamacare is no good. most the union members do not want it. obama and trumka are both liers
Let’s hope the AFL-CIO has not agreed to a deal that will exempt only union health plans from insurance tax.
Rumors are flying that top union officials have struck a deal with the White House that will give only unionized workers a temporary exemption for the proposed healthcare insurance tax. Labor unions would than be free to negotiate inferior health plans providing less coverage which in turn will enable employers to obtain cheaper insurance policies with tax free premiums.
Whoopppeee!
Besides enabling employers to escape the taxes by reducing health care benefits, this “deal” will hurt both unionized and non-union workers in one other very important way.
The anti-union corporate interests would certainly use such a healthcare deal in their anti-labor propaganda. They will tell unorganized workers: “See, the union bosses really don’t care about you, they just care about their own members and collecting membership dues money from more workers”.
If this proposal is accepted by union officials, that will encourage harmful divisions and conflicts between organized and non-union workers and that can only benefit right-wing politicians, Wall Street and corporate America.
The labor movement should speak on behalf of and for all working people, not just those who happen to be paying union dues.
If the labor movement hopes to organized non-union workers by the millions it must defend and champion the rights and interests of all workers. It has done this in the past when fighting for social security, unemployment compensation, civil rights, Medicare and other social reforms and legislation.
CNN has the right angle on this in an article just published:
Dems, unions may have deal on taxing ‘Cadillac’ health care plans
From Dana Bash and Deirdre Walsh, CNN
January 14, 2010
“AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka has made looking out for all workers — not just union members — a big part of his platform.”
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/14/health.care.negotiations/
(williamrayson on 14.01.2010 at 09:02) I’d blend some of your sentiments with that of the other postings. To explain, I belive that maybe the “plan all along” was to inspire the younger, not as politically educated masses, long enough to belive that they think they can escape the video games and make a difference by voting in a “new JFK” then they see that nothings going to change then return to being “consumers” (because apparently we’re all just giant pac-man like blobs) and doing exactly what the box tells them will make them happy.
WE need to talk to these kids, and show them this isn’t the end of things, if we cut the crap and drop the lucifarian-consumer-capitalist system, drop the corporate, and leave the producers (us) they can still do the things they enjoy now and more. And in fact have better, still high tech. healthcare and so much more.
And to (garyro1 on 13.01.2010 at 10:14) I called McCaskills office last year, during business hours/day about something, and the voicemail was off then to, I wonder if it’s ever on. (I live in the KCMO area)
To (JerryWells on 13.01.2010 at 02:47) I checked ot the wsws.org site at around midnight, stayed up reading through it till almost 3am, good stuff. Thanks for posting it.