Webloggin » Democrat Senator Proposes Federal Tax For Global Healthcare

The Democrat panacea of more taxes to fund ill managed government bureaucracies got a new boost in the arm from Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

The LA Times is reporting that Wyden is proposing a “ambitious” proposal to provide health care for all American’s.

WASHINGTON — A prominent Democratic senator unveiled an ambitious proposal today to provide health insurance for all Americans, while reining in rapid healthcare inflation that threatens benefits for millions of workers and their families.

The plan by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) comes a month after the health insurance industry offered its own comprehensive proposal and signals a growing willingness by politicians to tackle a subject that has been off limits since the mid-1990s collapse of then-President Bill Clinton’s sweeping health reform package.

Considered liberal on social issues and moderate on economic policy, Wyden combined elements of reforms that have been proposed by Democrats and Republicans.

His plan would guarantee coverage for all, including nearly 47 million uninsured, a Democratic objective. But it would also limit employers’ exposure to relentless cost increases and encourage workers to shop for cost-effective insurance plans — ideas that have Republican support.

“I think the country wants healthcare fixed,” Wyden said at a briefing for reporters earlier this week. “It’s possible to get good quality, affordable, universal private health coverage that can never be taken away for the amount of money that is spent today.”

The term “ambitious” is the new “maverick” in my book. Any time I hear either of these words being used by any bastion of liberal mushiness I know that Americans are about to take it up the wazoo if the subject comes to fruition.

The actual plans on how Wyden proposes that Americans pay for this plan are buried deep in the LA Times article after the reporter iterates over the terrible state of the worlds best health care system (how else would they do it?).

In the first two years of the plan, employers who now provide coverage would be required to directly pay workers what they were spending on insurance. Thereafter, most companies would pay the government a healthcare contribution that

Using the money from their employer, individuals would be required to purchase a private insurance policy through a purchasing pool in their state. Benefits would be keyed to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Plan available to federal workers. Workers would not have to pay higher income taxes because of the employer contribution.

The uninsured would also have to buy coverage, but premiums for the poor would be fully subsidized by the government. Middle-class families with incomes up to $80,000 for a family of four would be eligible for help on a sliding scale.

Premiums from individuals and contributions from employers would be collected by the government through the tax system and distributed to insurers. Once enrolled, individuals would be covered until retirement. Seniors in the Medicare program would not have to make any changes.

If your are getting flashes that this proposal resembles a complicated spin on social security you are correct. Even though the government can’t handle social security we know have idiots proposing that we implement a more complicated system that tacks on an extra expense to subsidize people with no income.

Don’t let those claims of no extra taxes fool you - the money doesn’t come out of thin air. In this case they are proposing that businesses take on the expense. Translated, a tax that will be passed on to the American consumer. Beware the used car salesman in a Democrat suit - the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. This time the wolf is called the “Healthy American’s Act“.

This is a bad deal for American taxpayers. Soon the word “Americans” will morph into undocumented immigrants who already get in state tuition and free healthcare at the expense of tax paying citizens who get fleeced every time the government gets their mits on your paycheck. This is an scam we can’t afford to support.