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Federal employees and all working families will benefit from health care reform. Big insurance companies have created a system that costs too much, covers too few and excludes too many. There’s a right way to do health care reform – with a public option and a requirement that all employers pay their fair share.

And there’s a wrong way to do it – which is to tax health care benefits.  Right now the House version of the health care reform bill and one of the Senate’s proposed bills (drafted by the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee) contain the public option, an employer’s “fair share” provision and no taxation on health care benefits.  Unfortunately, the Senate Finance Committee’s proposed health care bill would levy a 40% tax on health insurance plans that cost more than $8,000 for individuals and $21,000 for families.  That could hit federal employees particularly hard.

Contact Your Senators Right Now! Urge them to support health care reform but to oppose any taxation of health care benefits. 

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I support Congress' effort to enact health care reform. I also believe there's a right way to do it - with a public option and a requirement that all employers pay their fair share. And there's a wrong way to do it - which is to tax health care benefits. That's why I am writing to urge you to oppose any proposal to tax health care benefits.

As a federal employee I have already been notified that my health care premiums will go up on average 8.8% next year. I can't afford that. And I certainly won't be able to afford the premium increases (or benefit cuts) that will result from a tax on health care benefits. It defies common sense to think that private insurance companies will eat the cost of a tax levied on them for health care plans. They won't. They will just continue to gouge us with price hikes or benefit cuts. That's why I urge you to support health care reform that includes a public option and a requirement that employers pay their fair share. And I urge you to oppose any tax on health care benefits. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
October 22, 2009