The Massachusetts Senate Race will likely have an impact on the Health Care discussion ...
Party leaders assess impact of Brown win - Cape Cod Times
The reasons for Brown's stunning upset are related to the public ... The point is no one knows what impact this election will have on the November elections ...
REVIEW
Health Care Bill (H.R.3590) (H.R.3962)
A compromise version of an excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans has won support from organized labor, pushing lawmakers closer to a final deal on a health care overhaul.
Under the compromise, the tax would kick in for health plans costing $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 or more for family coverage beginning in 2013. That threshold would still rise at inflation plus 1 percentage point, as in the Senate bill. Unions with collective bargaining agreements would have a five-year grace period before their insurance tax, in 2018. While a number of issues apart from the financing provisions remain to be resolved, the bill is expected to be sent to the President for a signature this week.
Taxes in Health Care Bill: To pay for most of its costs, the House health care bill includes a 5.4 percent surtax on the adjusted gross incomes of individuals making more than $500,000 and married couples making more than $1 million. The Senate health care bill includes an excise tax on costly insurance plans and would increase the 1.45 percent Medicare payroll tax by 0.9 percentage points for individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000.
Negotiators are trying to reach a compromise on which tax provisions will be included in the final version of the legislation.
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Tax Break for Haiti Efforts Sought: Senators from states with large Haitian populations have proposed tax legislation designed to encourage donations to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Donation limits would be waived under the bill. Congress did the same in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to encourage contributions to the Gulf Coast rebuilding effort. (H.R.4213)
Banking Fee Proposal: Lawmakers are considering President Obama’s proposal to impose a fee on the banking industry to recover taxpayer bailout funds. While many GOP members are against it, saying that banks won’t be able to loan more money if a tax is levied on them, many Democrats are speaking out in favor of it. (H.R.1586)
Terrorism: Congress is considering whether to fund the deployment overseas of full-body scanning equipment that might have detected the explosives that a would-be Christmas Day bomber brought on board an airliner. Each machine costs $150,000.
Click here to voice your opinion on this issue.
Jobs Legislation: Powerful business lobbies are urging senators to rethink the House-passed $154 billion jobs bill that included using TARP funds for infrastructure projects and extensions of expanded unemployment benefits and health care coverage for laid-off workers. (H.R.2847)
Bill to Deter Vertical Price Fixing: A House committee approved legislation that would make it a violation of antitrust laws for retailers, wholesalers and distributors to set pricing floors for their products. “Whenever retailers compete aggressively on price, the consumer unquestionably wins,” the Courts and Competition Policy Subcommittee Chairman said. (H.R.3190)
Federal Income Tax Rates: Lobbyists are urging Congress to hold federal income tax rates at their current levels. They are warning lawmakers that the tax increases will be a primary issue in the 2010 elections. The House and Senate are expected to continue work on preparing health care legislation for the Presidents’ signature. The Senate will be considering jobs legislation.
Party leaders assess impact of Brown win - Cape Cod Times
The reasons for Brown's stunning upset are related to the public ... The point is no one knows what impact this election will have on the November elections ...
REVIEW
Health Care Bill (H.R.3590) (H.R.3962)
A compromise version of an excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans has won support from organized labor, pushing lawmakers closer to a final deal on a health care overhaul.
Under the compromise, the tax would kick in for health plans costing $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 or more for family coverage beginning in 2013. That threshold would still rise at inflation plus 1 percentage point, as in the Senate bill. Unions with collective bargaining agreements would have a five-year grace period before their insurance tax, in 2018. While a number of issues apart from the financing provisions remain to be resolved, the bill is expected to be sent to the President for a signature this week.
Taxes in Health Care Bill: To pay for most of its costs, the House health care bill includes a 5.4 percent surtax on the adjusted gross incomes of individuals making more than $500,000 and married couples making more than $1 million. The Senate health care bill includes an excise tax on costly insurance plans and would increase the 1.45 percent Medicare payroll tax by 0.9 percentage points for individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000.
Negotiators are trying to reach a compromise on which tax provisions will be included in the final version of the legislation.
_______________________________________________________
Tax Break for Haiti Efforts Sought: Senators from states with large Haitian populations have proposed tax legislation designed to encourage donations to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Donation limits would be waived under the bill. Congress did the same in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to encourage contributions to the Gulf Coast rebuilding effort. (H.R.4213)
Banking Fee Proposal: Lawmakers are considering President Obama’s proposal to impose a fee on the banking industry to recover taxpayer bailout funds. While many GOP members are against it, saying that banks won’t be able to loan more money if a tax is levied on them, many Democrats are speaking out in favor of it. (H.R.1586)
PREVIEW
Terrorism: Congress is considering whether to fund the deployment overseas of full-body scanning equipment that might have detected the explosives that a would-be Christmas Day bomber brought on board an airliner. Each machine costs $150,000.
Click here to voice your opinion on this issue.
Jobs Legislation: Powerful business lobbies are urging senators to rethink the House-passed $154 billion jobs bill that included using TARP funds for infrastructure projects and extensions of expanded unemployment benefits and health care coverage for laid-off workers. (H.R.2847)
Bill to Deter Vertical Price Fixing: A House committee approved legislation that would make it a violation of antitrust laws for retailers, wholesalers and distributors to set pricing floors for their products. “Whenever retailers compete aggressively on price, the consumer unquestionably wins,” the Courts and Competition Policy Subcommittee Chairman said. (H.R.3190)
Federal Income Tax Rates: Lobbyists are urging Congress to hold federal income tax rates at their current levels. They are warning lawmakers that the tax increases will be a primary issue in the 2010 elections. The House and Senate are expected to continue work on preparing health care legislation for the Presidents’ signature. The Senate will be considering jobs legislation.
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