Obama today agreed to tax health insurance while discussing it positively in December 2009. This was after attacking John McCain for wanting to tax health plans during the campaign. Here is the Obama Ad that attacks John McCain for wanting to tax health plans. And here is the text of the ad:
(Obama): I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.
(Announcer): On healthcare, John McCain promises a tax credit, but here’s what he won’t tell you. McCain would impose a new tax on health benefits, taxing your healthcare for the first time ever. Its a multi-trillion dollar tax hike. The largest middle class tax increase in history. You won’t find one word about it on his web site, but the McCain tax could cost your family thousands. Can you afford it?
On NPR, Obama said before Christmas <continued>2009:
“I’m on record as saying that taxing Cadillac plans that don’t make people healthier but just take more money out of their pockets because they’re paying more for insurance than they need to, that’s actually a good idea, and that helps bend the cost curve. That helps to reduce the cost of health care over the long term. I think that’s a smart thing to do.”
I guess the question is, who was REALLY the one to increase taxes?
The other question is, what is a “Cadillac plan”? Something this needs a government bail-out? Something with third world-quality? They seem to be using “Cadillac” as a synonym for “luxury” but in our experience it is a synonym for junk that can’t compete.
Also see: