GOP Senators consider taxing employer health plans

[KingSweden]

It would have made more sense to do tort reform and put heavy taxes on cancerweed and alcoholic content, and raise the federal gasoline tax. Legalize and heavily tax marijuana. Defensive medicine makes medical care more expensive; we all know what tobacco and booze do to a body; gasoline consumption correlates to vehicle collisions that result in disability. If people are going to use marijuana, then let the Feds collect some taxes.  

Conservatives could have done this as riders to Obamacare, making it less costly -- but they had no desire to give a Democratic President any credit.   

Speaking as an attorney that doesn't do any PI work or the like, tort reform is a lie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lhuN-gpwqo

(I love these guys)

You're a prosecutor, right?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Also, firms providing insurance should be the norm if they can afford it.

So you enjoy being hesitant to take risks, either on a new job, or on starting a business of your own because you'll lose your current insurance?  Employers like having job-provided insurance instead of giving the money to people directly to use as they wish as part of their compensation for one reason and one reason only, it helps turns employees into serfs unwilling to leave their lord's demesne.

[SoLongAtlas]

Also, firms providing insurance should be the norm if they can afford it.

So you enjoy being hesitant to take risks, either on a new job, or on starting a business of your own because you'll lose your current insurance?  Employers like having job-provided insurance instead of giving the money to people directly to use as they wish as part of their compensation for one reason and one reason only, it helps turns employees into serfs unwilling to leave their lord's demesne.

It's better than providing no coverage at all and telling they're employees sorry, figure it out. I'm also referring to mid- to large companies/corporations here. If they want to leave, they can leave. I'm not against freedom to choose your employment. The serf bit is a tad dramatic.

[Person Man]

Eventually it will boil down to three options. Status quo, cut everything back to individual market only (Ryan and co.), or single-payer health care. Call me a cynic but that's how I see this playing out politically.

I think in the end, it will come down to either single-payer or a conversion to total Fee For Service. What we had before was beginning to spiral and what we have now just bought us some time. You can't sustain a system where prices are being jacked up with little accountability or exposure to market pressure.

[mvd10]

For the record I endorse this but don't believe the GOP has the political capital to do this. They've effed up health care so badly that I think the political capital is gone for this.

Completely agree

[Badger]

It would have made more sense to do tort reform and put heavy taxes on cancerweed and alcoholic content, and raise the federal gasoline tax. Legalize and heavily tax marijuana. Defensive medicine makes medical care more expensive; we all know what tobacco and booze do to a body; gasoline consumption correlates to vehicle collisions that result in disability. If people are going to use marijuana, then let the Feds collect some taxes.  

Conservatives could have done this as riders to Obamacare, making it less costly -- but they had no desire to give a Democratic President any credit.   

Speaking as an attorney that doesn't do any PI work or the like, tort reform is a lie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lhuN-gpwqo

(I love these guys)

You're a prosecutor, right?

No longer. Now I do criminal defense. Still there's little I would've disagreed with them about in my prosecutor days. Texas is nucking futs.

[Adam Griffin]

PLEASE GOD LET IT BE

[hopper]

Gotta bring in revenue somehow I guess this is the way to do it or one of the ways.

[hopper]

This is what annoys me about some of you guys. You go all in on "trust the experts" on issues you happen to agree with them with, but you don't listen to experts when their conclusions violate your worldview.

Personally I'm fine with it being taxed. I don't know how Republicans won't be excoriated for it though. It's a tax hike after all.

Yes and we all know Grover Norquist wouldn't like this at all.

[hopper]

Before y'all melt and freak, please remember that the vast majority of economists APPROVE of treating employer provided health insurance as income and taxing it accordingly.

That's fine and all, but may I offer a thought largely disconnected from the validity of this idea - It will make a potent line of attack for Democrats, who could easily point to Republicans and say they are trying to make it more difficult for employers to offer insurance, and it will stick. If Republicans want to go to bat on this, it's probably going to cost them. In that case, I'd have to issue them a welcoming to the world of the Democrats, where we tried to do the right thing and got destroyed at the polls because of it, in no small part due to the GOP demonizing policies they themselves would have implemented had they been pushed to do so.

The GOP I don't think would have done the 50 Employee Limit where if you have 50 Employees on your company business that you have to provide health insurance for your workers or pay a fine or something to that effect. The GOP wouldn't have done making insurance companies in having insurers specific plans either like ObamaCare did.

I saw an article where the Dems lost an additional 20 house seats because of ObamaCare in 2010 so they didn't lose their US House Majority in 2010 just because of ObamaCare.

[hopper]

For the record I endorse this but don't believe the GOP has the political capital to do this. They've effed up health care so badly that I think the political capital is gone for this.

Remember it took the Dems 10 months to get ObamaCare on the House Floor for a vote in 2009.

[hopper]

It would have made more sense to do tort reform and put heavy taxes on cancerweed and alcoholic content, and raise the federal gasoline tax. Legalize and heavily tax marijuana. Defensive medicine makes medical care more expensive; we all know what tobacco and booze do to a body; gasoline consumption correlates to vehicle collisions that result in disability. If people are going to use marijuana, then let the Feds collect some taxes.  

Conservatives could have done this as riders to Obamacare, making it less costly -- but they had no desire to give a Democratic President any credit.   

Tort Reform-I don't think the Dems wanted to do that because it would upset trial lawyers who vote Democrat I think. They are an interest group for Democrats I think.

Legalize and tax marijuana-Marijuana is not legal in all 50 states so it not like you can tax it nationwide. States that its legal in you can tax it but only on the state level.

Raise Federal Gasoline Tax-Probably gonna have to do that sometime for highway funding.