CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE
June 24, 2009 – 1:28 p.m.
CBO to Examine Proposals To Help Pay for Health Coverage
Senate Democrats have asked the Congressional Budget Office to examine three proposals that would require large businesses to contribute to their employees’ health coverage, according to a document released Wednesday.
The document was distributed by staff of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is marking up a draft health care overhaul bill by its chairman, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , D-Mass., this week.
According to the document, CBO has been asked to estimate the budget effects of two competing proposals that would require businesses to help pay for their workers’ private insurance, plus a third that would require businesses with many employees on Medicaid to pay extra taxes to the government.
Such requirements are known in the business community as “pay-or-play” mandates — and are hotly contested by groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But Democrats want a business mandate to accompany a mandate that individuals obtain insurance in order to foster what they call “shared responsibility” for health care coverage.
The document says that “small businesses” would be exempt from any of the “pay-or-play” requirements — but it does not define small business. In a section of Kennedy’s bill that would provide tax credits for small businesses to help them purchase insurance for their employees, the term is defined as a business that employs fewer than 50 people on average in a year and pays an average wage of $50,000 or less.
Under the proposals CBO is considering, businesses that fail to provide coverage meeting minimum criteria spelled out in the bill would have to pay either a flat fee to the government or a tax equal to a percentage of their payroll. A bill that House Democrats have written would require employers to pay 8 percent of their payroll to the government if they don’t provide coverage to their employees meeting the legislation’s requirements.
Comments
My family has a small business in Indiana and cannot afford to give it's employees any kind of health care, that's why we agree with a large portion of Americans on the government single payer system. Born in Europe I paid for our health care with insurance stamps in a little book, so did the employer everybody worked for? Until the mass legal and illegal immigration into my country of birth all citizens had exceptional medical services. It insured us of surgery, eyes and teeth care for all the people. Today Europe is under considerable pressure from the millions of foreign laborers, who poured into my nation and other industrialized countries around us. Why American newspaper always seem to quote that European health care is free--is beyond me? Nothing is free! We paid for it through our employers, but we were--NOT--subsidizing for profit insurance companies? Every health insurance company removes their pound of flesh, their co-pays, deductible, premiums and of course pre-existing conditions. THESE NEFARIOUS BUSINESSES ARE CURRENTLY SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, SPREADING RHETORIC AND PROPAGANDA ON TV, RADIO AND IN MAGAZINES. They are truly worried that there mammoth profits are in jeopardy, because for once the majority of the American people are not listening to their lies. Yes! In Europe you do wait for surgical procedures, but no more than three months. Years ago, I had been out of the country visiting relatives in Australia. When I returned their was a letter waiting for me, for an appointment with a nose surgeon. THE RATIONING OF HEALTH CARE HAS ONLY COMMENCED, SINCE THE INFLUX OF FOREIGN NATIONALS NOT PAYING THEIR SHARE IN EUROPE. We must take into consideration that a American government pool of health care money, far exceeds European standards and would cover every citizen and legal resident--NOT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Only the well heeled population don't care for it and the for profit trillion dollar business base have issues, because they have so much to lose? If nothing else we should have the ability to choose for ourselves. Those who think that for-profit insurance companies, should know that this avenue is available to them. Then the larger portion of the population should not have to beg, to be covered, as they should have access to government Universal health care. We should all know our enemies in this health care issue, who are right now undermining President Obama's plan. Those politicians who are adverse to any new health care agenda, are without doubt stockholders in hospitals, billing services, insurers or other profit entities. They sold you out to the wealthy special interest lobbyists on E-Verify and a near future AMNESTY. Be ready to throw those political puppets out of office, when their time comes around for re-election. Bombard your Senators and Congressman for a single payer Health care for all AMERICANS.
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