Don't Tax Our Health Care!

Leading economists and 190 Members of Congress agree: the proposed tax on health care benefits is bad public policy that will hurt millions of middle-income and working Americans.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, Representative Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and economists Lawrence Mishel and Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute debunked the myths that supporters have been spreading about the excise tax during a media teleconference Jan. 6.   

CWA has been leading the fight against the tax on health care plans which is included in the Senate's health care reform plan. The House of Representatives has it right, CWA President Larry Cohen has said, funding health care reform through an employer mandate that requires employers that currently don't pay to provide coverage for workers, and a  surtax on the very wealthy.

Courtney pointed out that 190 House Democrats have joined the efforts to stop the tax on health care plans.

Bivens pointed out that the tax actually will hit small businesses, older workers and those most in need of health care the hardest, not the so-called "Cadillac" plans that tax supporters want to affect. That's because size and geographic location of the workplace and age and health care needs of workers, not quality of coverage, are the factors that raise overall plan costs, he said.  

For the latest on CWA's campaign, go to http://www.healthcarevoices.org/