Affordable Care Act

Little Difference Between the Cadillac Tax and a Cap on the Tax Exclusion for Employer Health Plans

In the face of widespread criticism of the Affordable Care Act’s excise tax on high-cost employer sponsored health insurance plans ( the Cadillac Tax ), some lawmakers have backed an alternative: a cap on the current tax exclusion for employer contributions to health insurance. To learn how the two

October 22, 2015Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Why Dump the Cadillac Tax?

Economists love the Affordable Care Act’s Cadillac tax, the excise tax on high-cost employer sponsored health insurance plans. Well, maybe not love. But they do like it a lot . In contrast, unions, Republicans, and even Hillary Clinton want to dump the tax . Why? Pretty much for the same reason

October 8, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

Thirty days, goodbye September, shutdown talks? Maybe in December.

About that possible government shutdown… The Senate passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and outgoing Speaker of the House John Boehner will meet with President Obama “soon” for budget negotiations , and the House is on

September 30, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Scott Walker’s Replacement for the ACA Would Leave Many Uninsured

GOP presidential hopeful Scott Walker’s plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is built on a controversial framework of tax subsidies that Walker estimates would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years. The plan is already drawing heat from fellow GOP candidate Bobby Jindal, who called it “a new

August 20, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

"The Long and Winding Road... Will Never Disappear..."

The Senate’s six-year highway bill inches forward, after dropping a Social Security provision. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won 14 Democrats’ votes for the bill after he agreed to drop a $2.3 billion offset. The money would have come from barring people with felony warrants from getting Social

July 24, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Who Benefits Most From Repealing the ACA Cadillac Tax?

Republicans and some Democrats in Congress are pressing to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s Cadillac tax—a 40 percent excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health insurance plans. Backers of repeal argue that curbs on these generous plans would disproportionately hurt low- and middle-income

July 23, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

Big Talk, Growing Opposition

Can the Senate pass a highway bill? Last night, the Senate finally voted to begin debate on its version of a transportation bill. But it is in for a tough slog thanks in part to two GOP presidential hopefuls. Ted Cruz has threatened to tie the Iran deal to the measure. The Texan wants an amendment

July 23, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

ACA Effects and Estimates

Treasury shares tax filing data on the Affordable Care Act. It released data Friday that show 81 percent of tax filers “checked the box” to indicate that they had health insurance coverage. Nine percent claimed a health care coverage exemption, and 6 percent paid the fee for remaining uninsured

July 20, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Plans, Expectations, and Avoidance

An outline of a safe plan: No sharp edges. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton shared her tax agenda yesterday, but as Howard Gleckman notes, most of her proposals are familiar , including a Buffett tax on very-high income households and small business tax relief. She did not endorse

July 14, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Estimates and the Economy: Let the Buyer Beware

The CBO, the ACA, and the economy: Precision doesn’t mean accuracy. Last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office projected that repeal of the Affordable Care Act would add $137 billion to the national debt over 10 years but boost the economy. But the estimates came with a big warning: “[R]epealing

June 24, 2015Renu Zaretsky