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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 31, 2009
/ 14 Teves 5770
Yes, Someone Has To Pay for Health Care
By
Debra J. Saunders
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Most Americans already have health care insurance, but many middle-class
Americans are afraid of losing what they have. The fear is especially
profound when a person can work hard and steadily for years, only to
find him-or-herself suddenly out of a job and without the means to pay
for a costly illness.
There have been too many horror stories about people who responsibly buy
personal health plans, only to find out that the plans don't really
cover large medical bills. If a person gets a job that provides health
care benefits, his or her current health problems may not be covered
because they are pre-existing conditions.
Washington's catchphrase for the above situation has been, as the
fiscal-watchdog group the Concord Coalition wrote in its recent report
on health care reform, "doing nothing is not a responsible option."
The other half of the equation, however, is, as the report continued,
"It does not follow, however, that doing anything would improve the
situation." Alas, doing anything seems to be the one thing at which
Washington excels.
Now, I've got issues with the bills passed in the House and Senate when
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid kept tossing in
benefits while promising to reduce the country's health care tab.
But my new fear is that during conference committee, lawmakers will
throw in even more goodies and then, to make everybody happy, reduce the
tax increases necessary to fund the plan. The closer they come to
President Obama's 2008 campaign rhetoric universal health care that
only rich people pay for the more red ink they will pass on to the
next generation.
The House proposes a 5.4 percent tax on workers earning more than
$500,000 annually, or $1 million for couples. The Senate relies heavily
on what is called hide-the-tax excise tax on so-called Cadillac
health care plans. The Senate also would increase Medicare taxes on
families earning more than $250,000.
The problem with soaking the rich to pay for a health care plan? This is
the fastest-shrinking tax imaginable when the economy sours. If
California can serve any useful function in this debate, it should be as
a warning to the dangers of over-relying on taxes on the rich.
Besides, as the Concord Coalition noted, broadly based taxes "spread the
notion that all must contribute something for government benefits
imposing an important breaker against 'free lunch' spending giveaways."
Hence the coalition's support for the tax on so-called Cadillac health
care.
While critics on the left complain that the Cadillac tax will squeeze
union workers and the middle-class, I have issues with taxing those with
health care benefits to pay for those who don't. Better to pass a
value-added tax, but at least this excise eventually would make everyone
pay for a universal benefit.
Concord Coalition Policy Director Josh Gordon believes, "Once people
start feeling the cost of their insurance, they start getting concerned
about premiums being too high." He added that if negotiators remove the
Senate excise-tax and cost-control measures, the Concord Coalition would
have to brand a final bill as "irresponsible legislation."
Note to anti-tax Republicans: If Washington passes a bill, someone has
to pay for it. The only question is who, when and how much.
Note to soak-the-richers: You can't say that universal health care is a
moral imperative, but only other people should pay for it.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders' column by clicking here.
Debra J. Saunders Archives
© 2010, Creators Syndicate
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