Obama’s Playing Chicken with the Unions
Now that Obama has the liberals and the Unions supporting him in the passage of the healthcare bill, is he actually willing to lose them in the home stretch by considering taxing the Cadillac Health Plans? That’s essentially what he’s risking by putting the idea on the table. In fact, he’s finding that if he does not tax those plans, that he can’t pay for this expensive boondoggle.
President Barack Obama signaled to House Democratic leaders Wednesday that they’ll have to drop their opposition to taxing high-end health insurance plans to pay for health coverage for millions of uninsured Americans.In a meeting at the White House, Obama expressed his preference for the insurance tax contained in the Senate’s health overhaul bill, but largely opposed by House Democrats and organized labor, Democratic aides said. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Yahoo
Dennis Revera, SEIU’s point man, has been very adament concerning the talk about taxation of their plans since the concept was brought up this past summer.
Unions adamantly oppose the tax because it could affect many of their members. Several have high-cost insurance plans because they either work in dangerous professions requiring more and costlier coverage or they have negotiated for better benefits with their employers The Hill
Obama’s come along way with the unions supporting him up to this point. But if Obama pushes this idea, could he lose support for the healthcare bill and any future support? Would he throw the unions under the bus to get this legislation passed? Heck, he’d throw his kids under that bus in order to have his legacy consist of national healthcare.