There's been a lot of braggadocio going on about the Brady Tax Plan, a plan which was largely developed in secret under the guidance of Texas Republican Congressman Keven Brady, the powerful head of the Ways and Means Committee. Most of the talk has been about the large cut in corporate taxes proposed, from 35% to 20%, an action that is long past due. Corporations don't pay taxes, consumers do in the form of higher prices and I heartily approve of this component of the bill which will create jobs and boost the economy. But there are major problems with the bill which need change and today we'll talk about the impact on healthcare for older citizens.
The problem with the bill as written is found, as is always, in the details that are hidden and not discussed by the proponents. In this writer's humble opinion they make it untenable and one of the biggest reasons is the impact of the bill on healthcare, particularly for those Americans over the age of 65. And the problem is caused by the impact of the lobbyists, the actual constituency that Congress serves which helps sitting elected members to retain power over the American people. Sadly, the practical evidence is clear that they are bought and paid for and just like the Obamacare fiasco, the people don't count.
Regarding older Americans, the impact of this tax bill on healthcare is monumental, yet it also impacts many younger folks as well. And don't forget, we are all going to get old eventually, so if a bad bill becomes a bad law the impact is much greater than first thought.
Just look at a few of the things related to health care. Health savings accounts will be eliminated as will the provisions which allowed tax deductions for major and catastrophic out of pocket health expenses above seventy-five hundred dollars. And since the folks most likely needing expensive surgery are those over 65 who are now largely living under fixed income, the bite will be worse than a pit bull. They don't have the ability to continually absorb more and more expenses from Congressional folly.
Couple that with the fact the pensions don't exist for many and the runaway stock exchange pricing can't go on forever. Whatever goes up must come down and the bottom is soon to fall out. And then there's social security, that sham of a government program which we were forced to pay into (excepting Congress, of course, and a few other carve outs). It has not even approached inflation since the government determines changes to the cost of living used for federal outlays by formula that is very vague.
Why does it do this? That's easy, it helps them to report debt which is lower than the real number by not having to pay out as much. There may be wide variances from location to location but they look for an average and even that is usually undervalued. Look at the price of a basket of beef according to the Department of Agriculture compared to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and you'll find wide divergence. That never is explained.
But they tell you not to worry and point to the upcoming increase in social security of approximately two percent in 2018 (after an almost zero change in the last several years). They conveniently forget to advise that the increase will be eaten up by the raise in Medicare premiums, another program we've had to pay into which is being destroyed by using funds to cover Medicare, today's Obama's free healthcare. And, at the same time, Medicare deductibles have gone up while many services have been eliminated. Furthermore, the old reasonable twenty minute wait to see the doctor at scheduled appointment time has grown to well over an hour in most cases. But don't blame the doctor, he is busy typing away on his portable computer telling the big government handlers every detail about you so they can figure out a way to avoid paying for whatever ailment is found.
When Congress is asked about why they can't come up with a healthcare solution to replace the abomination known as Obamacare, they repeatedly say that they'll get back to it but that they're focused on taxes now. And in doing so, they make whatever supposed solution they come up with on taxes something which also makes healthcare less affordable. But, then again, it's what they do, everything they touch is designed to give them more power over us. And meanwhile, all of those illegal immigrants flood the emergency rooms, receiving care that is usually paid for by, you guessed it, we the taxpayers who pay for everything.
I hope everyone will carefully look at the proposed tax bill, for while it has some good things in it, it also has components like the treatment of healthcare that make this bill a non-starter. Once again, they need to go back to the drawing board and serve their constituents, all of them.
You might call me cynical for my view on our Congress, but I think it's well justified. Neither party has done anything to really solve the problems, they've just obfuscated the truth. Just call me disgusted on an otherwise beautiful Monday.
The problem with the bill as written is found, as is always, in the details that are hidden and not discussed by the proponents. In this writer's humble opinion they make it untenable and one of the biggest reasons is the impact of the bill on healthcare, particularly for those Americans over the age of 65. And the problem is caused by the impact of the lobbyists, the actual constituency that Congress serves which helps sitting elected members to retain power over the American people. Sadly, the practical evidence is clear that they are bought and paid for and just like the Obamacare fiasco, the people don't count.
Regarding older Americans, the impact of this tax bill on healthcare is monumental, yet it also impacts many younger folks as well. And don't forget, we are all going to get old eventually, so if a bad bill becomes a bad law the impact is much greater than first thought.
Just look at a few of the things related to health care. Health savings accounts will be eliminated as will the provisions which allowed tax deductions for major and catastrophic out of pocket health expenses above seventy-five hundred dollars. And since the folks most likely needing expensive surgery are those over 65 who are now largely living under fixed income, the bite will be worse than a pit bull. They don't have the ability to continually absorb more and more expenses from Congressional folly.
Couple that with the fact the pensions don't exist for many and the runaway stock exchange pricing can't go on forever. Whatever goes up must come down and the bottom is soon to fall out. And then there's social security, that sham of a government program which we were forced to pay into (excepting Congress, of course, and a few other carve outs). It has not even approached inflation since the government determines changes to the cost of living used for federal outlays by formula that is very vague.
Why does it do this? That's easy, it helps them to report debt which is lower than the real number by not having to pay out as much. There may be wide variances from location to location but they look for an average and even that is usually undervalued. Look at the price of a basket of beef according to the Department of Agriculture compared to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and you'll find wide divergence. That never is explained.
But they tell you not to worry and point to the upcoming increase in social security of approximately two percent in 2018 (after an almost zero change in the last several years). They conveniently forget to advise that the increase will be eaten up by the raise in Medicare premiums, another program we've had to pay into which is being destroyed by using funds to cover Medicare, today's Obama's free healthcare. And, at the same time, Medicare deductibles have gone up while many services have been eliminated. Furthermore, the old reasonable twenty minute wait to see the doctor at scheduled appointment time has grown to well over an hour in most cases. But don't blame the doctor, he is busy typing away on his portable computer telling the big government handlers every detail about you so they can figure out a way to avoid paying for whatever ailment is found.
When Congress is asked about why they can't come up with a healthcare solution to replace the abomination known as Obamacare, they repeatedly say that they'll get back to it but that they're focused on taxes now. And in doing so, they make whatever supposed solution they come up with on taxes something which also makes healthcare less affordable. But, then again, it's what they do, everything they touch is designed to give them more power over us. And meanwhile, all of those illegal immigrants flood the emergency rooms, receiving care that is usually paid for by, you guessed it, we the taxpayers who pay for everything.
I hope everyone will carefully look at the proposed tax bill, for while it has some good things in it, it also has components like the treatment of healthcare that make this bill a non-starter. Once again, they need to go back to the drawing board and serve their constituents, all of them.
You might call me cynical for my view on our Congress, but I think it's well justified. Neither party has done anything to really solve the problems, they've just obfuscated the truth. Just call me disgusted on an otherwise beautiful Monday.
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