The president's proposal, announced in Tuesday's State of the Union Address, is a win-win-win-win:
It is a win for the uninsured because it offers millions more Americans the chance to buy health insurance with the tax savings they will receive from this generous new standard deduction.
Taxpayers win because 80 percent of them will receive a tax cut when they take the new $15,000 family deduction.
It is a win for employees because they now will be able to buy health insurance that they can own and take with them from job to job. This is a bold new initiative that changes the conversation over health reform and will give people more control over decisions involving their health insurance and health care.
And it is a win for states because they will have more flexibility with the new "Affordable Choices" state initiative to direct federal resources to meet the needs of citizens who need extra help in purchasing health insurance.
Grace-Marie Turner
Galen Institute, a non-profit research organization that specializes in free-market health reform
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