A proposed tax on high-value health insurance policies is sparking widespread opposition from congressional Democrats who fear it would hit middle-class workers like coal miners in West Virginia.
The opposition sprang up today, a day after Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus proposed the tax to pay for his health overhaul bill. The levy would affect insurance policies worth $21,000 for a family. Baucus says those are “Cadillac Plans” enjoyed by a minority of Americans.
But other Democratic senators fear that the tax would reach into middle-class pocketbooks. Labor unions have also reacted with outrage. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, among others, say they want to limit the tax before signing off on the bill. (AP)
