A Couple More Numbers for Bingley’s Health Care Lament

…There was a report from the Congressional Budget office that the health care plan offered by Senator Kennedy would cost $1 trillion and include only 16 million of the uninsured.

That’s $62,500 a pop for ten years but when have government projections been anywhere near reality.

This was followed by a late report from the Senate that health care plans being kicked around would cost $1.6 trillion over ten years. To Greg Valliere it looks like there is a real threat that President Obama’s campaign pledge to not raise taxes on the middle class will go the way of “Read my lips. No new taxes.” But that is what political capital is for. To be able to react to the real world and not the campaign world. Joe Biden jumped ahead in the cue and said the stimulus won’t save or create 3.5 million jobs but more like 600,000. And it looks like whatever is planned in the White House will have a fight on Capitol Hill as Senator Dodd has said taxing health care benefits is not a good idea while the Senate Finance Committee is kicking around a proposal to tax benefits worth more than $17,000 as regular income.

This is starting to look like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.

And lucky us!

One Response to “A Couple More Numbers for Bingley’s Health Care Lament”

1. Dave E. says:

   June 17, 2009 at 8:39 pm

   “This is starting to look like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.”
   Um…starting?