"There's discrimination in the tax code."
W.'s latest proposal (and, NO, it's not in any way to get you talking about something other than Vietnam -- I mean, Iraq) is to allow folks who pay for their health insurance directly to deduct that cost on their tax returns. People who get their health insurance through their employers are already not taxed on that part of their compensation. W. would pay for the new tax break by taxing those with "gold-plated" employer-provided health insurance.
W. actually said, "there's discrimination in the tax code." Because some people are taxed on the cost of their health insurance and some are not.
Now let's set aside for the moment that the number of people without insurance in the U.S. is the same or greater than the entire population of Canada and that this plan will not realistically help anyone who is not already insured.
Forgive me for beating a dead horse and I know it is far from being the world's greatest injustice, but there's another disparity in that very same tax code in regard to health insurance.
Alan and I are very fortunate in that his employer pays for most of my health insurance, recognizing me as a "domestic partner." The total cost of that insurance IS taxed because I am not a legally-recognized spouse. (The company has to calculate the value and put it in a separate box on the W-2.) Also, Alan can have a health care spending account which allows him to set aside pre-tax dollars for out-of-pocket medical expenses. We were told that I cannot participate because I am not a legally-recognized spouse. This is not the fault of the company (as they make clear in an annual letter); it is due to federal law.
W. didn't mention that discrimination that will not be remedied by his plan.
And (I just can't help myself) why should availability of health care be affected by one's employment or marital status anyway? The U.S. spends more money per capita on health care than any other nation but does not have the best even for those lucky enough to have insurance. The employer-provided insurance model has failed. But heaven forbid the U.S. join all those socialists in the rest of the more-developed world.
W. actually said, "there's discrimination in the tax code." Because some people are taxed on the cost of their health insurance and some are not.
Now let's set aside for the moment that the number of people without insurance in the U.S. is the same or greater than the entire population of Canada and that this plan will not realistically help anyone who is not already insured.
Forgive me for beating a dead horse and I know it is far from being the world's greatest injustice, but there's another disparity in that very same tax code in regard to health insurance.
Alan and I are very fortunate in that his employer pays for most of my health insurance, recognizing me as a "domestic partner." The total cost of that insurance IS taxed because I am not a legally-recognized spouse. (The company has to calculate the value and put it in a separate box on the W-2.) Also, Alan can have a health care spending account which allows him to set aside pre-tax dollars for out-of-pocket medical expenses. We were told that I cannot participate because I am not a legally-recognized spouse. This is not the fault of the company (as they make clear in an annual letter); it is due to federal law.
W. didn't mention that discrimination that will not be remedied by his plan.
And (I just can't help myself) why should availability of health care be affected by one's employment or marital status anyway? The U.S. spends more money per capita on health care than any other nation but does not have the best even for those lucky enough to have insurance. The employer-provided insurance model has failed. But heaven forbid the U.S. join all those socialists in the rest of the more-developed world.
posted by Daniel wbc at 9:20 PM
1 Comments:
We're looking forward to the Canadian health care system. Friends living there have had no major complaints about the service.
Another fringe benefit:
Absolutely no drug/viagra/restless leg syndrome ads on TV - How refreshing is that????
Post a Comment
<< Home