Call It a Punishment

Imposing a huge tax on expensive insurance plans is simply a punishment for those who want the best for their families. This isn't health-care reform, it is a money shift. The huge profits that insurance companies now realize through high cost of coverage may be reduced, but for the individual it is in essence just giving your money to a different bank.

There is another major problem with this concept: it infers that there will be a huge difference in coverage being offered to high income earners and the rest of Americans who will simply be given a plan to make do. The middle class will undoubtedly feel the pressure of increased taxation and settle for less than they have now through high co-pay employer plans.

I believe everyone can take on some ownership of health care through a number of considerations. Some suggestions could be a small tax imposed on everyone, retail taxes on non-essential goods, small office co-pays, a yearly co-pay for families. The sum of any of these or even all of these would amount to far less for an individual than any taxes Senator Baucus is suggesting. In the end, his proposal will simply make health care less affordable, fail to meet the goal of coverage for all Americans and ensure that no one has the best coverage. Let's face it: even wealthy Americans are pinching pennies these days.

This is tantamount to total failure of health-care reform efforts unless, of course, balancing the books is the only objective. We didn't need Baucus for that. Any high school economics student could have come up with this plan.

By Kathy-Ellen Kups  |  September 23, 2009; 11:11 AM ET  | Category:  Health Care Reform , Taxes
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