
In the
House, Democrats are considering levying a tax on insurance companies for
providing high-premium plans. In the Senate, the Finance Committee has recessed
before considering the public option.
"House
Democrats are considering an insurance tax to help pay for their health care
overhaul plan, even though such a funding scheme is bitterly opposed by labor
unions that are among the party's most loyal constituencies," The
Associated Press reports. "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said
Friday a tax on high-cost health insurance plans is 'under consideration' as
Democrats search for consensus within their ranks before taking a bill to the
House floor later this fall." She added that "[t]here are other
provisions in the Senate bill that bend the (costs) curve that might be more
palatable. We'll see."
"Although Pelosi was noncommittal, an aide said that if the House does incorporate an insurance tax in its plan, it would probably be a more modest one than what Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has proposed" (Werner and Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/25).
Source: Kaiser Health News
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