more details of today's arrest of single payer folks

The senate committee had single payer folks arrested. Then they went on to discuss how to tax your health care benefits. Good day for the senate, our buddies and I thought John McCain lost the election.

This, my friends, should be a great topic of conversation.

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Senate Considers Tax Increases For Healthcare Reform

Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday weighed options to implement a federal tax increase to pay for a national healthcare plan.

The Committee is faced with the task of finding feasible options to pay for a healthcare plan that will cover 46 million uninsured people at an estimated cost of about $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

According to the Associated Press, the package is expected to include both spending cuts as well as tax hikes. Senators are weighing options that range from raising taxes on alcohol and sodas as well as restrictions on health care related tax breaks.

On the campaign trail last year, President Barack Obama criticized John McCain’s plan to tax benefits for employer-provided healthcare. Now, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is considering a similar plan, and Mr. Obama’s aides have reported that the president will consider the option as well.

Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told the committee that the plan would encourage people to spend more on medical services.

"It gives the greatest benefit to those with the highest incomes, although they are the group that least needs help paying for health insurance," Greenstein said.

According to the AP, employer-provided health insurance is not taxed, resulting in lost federal revenue of about $250 billion each year.

Additionally, Medicare is expected to be out of funding needed to pay hospitals by 2019, although some suggest that the recession could exacerbate the problem, according to Reuters.
"Finding money that we can all agree on will not be easy," Baucus admitted.

At the start of the hearing, a group of nurses in attendance were outspoken in protesting their exclusion from the witness table as supporters of government-run health care programs.
Several others in the audience then spoke out in favor of a single-payer system before being removed from the hearing room, according to C-SPAN.

Five protestors have been arrested and charged with “Disruption of Congress,” according to a Capitol Police spokeswoman.
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Story from REDORBIT NEWS:http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1687565Published: 2009/05/12 15:06:01 CDT© RedOrbit 2005