Health Care Reform Heats Up in Political Dialogue

• Published in: Orthopedics (Thorofare, N.J.) Vol. 31; no. 11; pp. 1104 - 1105
• Main Author: Wood, Michael B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare, NJ SLACK Incorporated 01.11.2008; SLACK INCORPORATED
• Subjects: Cost control; Employers; Employment; Health care expenditures; Health care policy; Health Care Reform - economics; Health Care Reform - organization & administration; Health Care Reform - trends; Health Policy; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Income taxes; Insurance coverage; Insurance industry; Legal reform; Liability insurance; National health insurance; Physicians; Politics; Primary care; Primary Health Care - economics; Primary Health Care - organization & administration; Primary Health Care - trends; Private Sector; Public Sector; Reimbursement; Tax exempt organizations; Tax increases; Tax reform; Torts; Uninsured people; United States; Universal Coverage - economics; Universal Coverage - organization & administration; Universal Coverage - trends; United States
• ISSN: 0147-7447; 1938-2367; 1938-2367
• DOI: 10.3928/01477447-20081101-30

In many ways the tax exemption for employer-provided health care coverage is an anomaly and inconsistent with the “means testing” of income tax because it provides a greater benefit for high-income individuals. [...]the employer-provided health care benefit not subject to income tax has become the bedrock for providing health insurance for the majority of Americans, and to change this would require a huge paradigm shift. Universal health care basically expands Medicaid and sets up a government-sponsored safety net.