Senate Democrats who fret over the distributional effects of tax cuts should thank their GOP colleagues for giving them the chance this week to vote on repealing one of the most regressive taxes: the Obamacare tax on the uninsured.This tax disproportionately falls on those with incomes less than $50,000, while exempting many households earning six-figure salaries. Many who qualify for subsidies … [Read more...] about Senate Should Repeal Regressive Tax on the Uninsured
Archives for November 2017
Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Is Repealing Itself
The Senate this week is expected to vote on a tax bill that includes a controversial provision to repeal Obamacare’s tax penalty on the uninsured. Democrats and some conservative policy analysts fret that if Congress scuttles the so-called individual mandate, insurance premiums will rise. The reverse may be closer to the truth: Premiums for Obamacare policies next year will be so high that … [Read more...] about Obamacare’s Individual Mandate Is Repealing Itself
Health Reform: Helping the States Help the Poor
Many Catholics, especially Catholic leaders, have been conflicted over bills that have been presented to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act: They strenuously object to the ACA’s affront to religious liberty yet they know it offers access to health insurance for millions, including those who have been left behind in our bifurcated system. Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, … [Read more...] about Health Reform: Helping the States Help the Poor
The Hatch-Brady bill offers a way to make health insurance affordable
The Oct. 26 editorial “Health-care reform that pays off” unfairly maligned a bill introduced by two committee chairmen as “dismantling major pieces of Obamacare.” It does nothing of the sort. Like the bill proposed by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) that the editorial praised, a bill from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) would appropriate money … [Read more...] about The Hatch-Brady bill offers a way to make health insurance affordable