Noah Rothman:
The hits just keep on rolling in. After the previously unknown investment advisor Rich Weinstein established that there was a literal trove of videos featuring Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber speaking candidly and in strikingly impolitic ways about the health care reform law and the American public he helped deceive, the mainstream press is now getting in on the act.
The sixth installment in the series of videos featuring Gruber crucifying himself was uncovered by CNN’s Jake Tapper:
The issue at hand in this sixth video is known as the “Cadillac tax,” which was represented as a tax on employers’ expensive health insurance plans. While employers do not currently have to pay taxes on health insurance plans they provide employees, starting in 2018, companies that provide health insurance that costs more than $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family will have to pay a 40 percent tax.
Much like the videos uncovered by Weinstein, Tapper discovered the sixth video also hiding in plain sight posted on the Pioneer Institute’s public policy research website. The relevant remarks begin at the 30:38 mark:
In those 2011 remarks, Gruber said that, despite the fact that most members of his profession agree employer-based health insurance tax breaks were bad policy, “it turns out politically it’s really hard to get rid of.”
He said that the Affordable Care Act helped do away with his system in two ways. The first, “by mislabeling it, calling it a tax on insurance plans rather than a tax on people when we all know it’s a tax on people who hold those insurance plans.” And secondly, by delaying the implementation of this tax until 2018. “But by starting it late, we were able to tie the cap for Cadillac Tax to CPI, not medical inflation,” Gruber said.
A money quote:
He just told America we (he and Obama) screwed you.
Remember, there were no debates, no amendments, and only Dems voted for this turkey.
Of those Dems many are gone now, both in the House and in the Senate.
The Unions were the first to wake up and notice that their plans were subject to the Cadillac Tax.
Obama threw them under the bus, too.
Former CNBC Anchor Shares: When I Tried To Inform Audience of ObamaCare False Math I Was Told To Shut Up…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wzvi3hK51Lo
So, Gruber was NOT alone.
Networks played a part in insuring the ignorance of the American people.
See, especially the first 2&1/2 minutes.
@Nanny:
Nan, for over 30 years, the CWA negotiated with AT & T for medical/dental/vision health benefits that would continue after retirement. Union members gave up wage increases getting less than inflation, retirement monthly cash benefits, all to protect their health care. But the CWA pushed Obamacare, hard.
Now retirees have lost their health insurance and are being pushed into the open market. Those retirees who are Medicare eligible are now paying upwards of $180/month for a Blue Cross Plan F policy, they are paying at least $20/month for Rx coverage, $48/month for vision care and approx. $40/month for dental coverage. Double those figures if they do not yet apply for Medicare.
So now, due to the sell out of the union, an AT & T retiree is paying almost $300 a month for secondary insurance, not to mention that they are required to pay $104.00/month, which is taxable, for Medicare Part B.
In 2010, AT & T estimated that health insurance for the employee only, cost the company $10,600/year. Add to that cost any dependents. It cost the employee NOTHING. That has all ended. All those union/company negotiations went the way of the Doo Doo bird. Gone. Two words; Cadillac tax.
And Obama was fully aware this was going to happen. Gruber knew it, designed the program to do it, and Obama jumped on board.
Yet, people like Greggie and Larry will come on this board and sing the praises of Obamacare. Larry doesn’t have to worry about it. He’s a doctor so he gets professional courtesy discounts on his medical care and Greggie is such a Socialist he really thinks Obamacare is a good thing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/11/14/did-jonathan-gruber-earn-almost-400000-from-the-obama-administration/
Gruber is the epitome of the underhanded, scheming, deceitful, scumbag bureaucrat. This is from the Washington Post – so you leftists can stick your “right-wing website” false claims up your fourth point of contact.
This is not news to any of us who opposed this evil legislation. This has NEVER been about providing access to healthcare. This has ALWAYS been about taking over control of medical care.
If obamacare was really going to be a good thing, why was it necessary to blatantly lie about everything this despicable law would do? Can you leftists come up with ANY justification where lying about something was able to result in any good, just or beneficial outcome?
Obamacare is inherently evil, and the authors of this abomination are absolutely untrustworthy. Their actions are criminally dishonest and utterly reprehensible. Obamacare MUST be repealed in toto, and none of these lying bastards can ever be allowed to have any input into policy-making or political power again.
@Pete:
Greggie, and your fellow physician, Larry Weisenthal, show up in 3……2…..
Now we REALLY know why this was RAMMED down our throats… so bleeping FAST….
AARP is part of this too. They stand to make billions on supplemental plans. AARP is a huge supporter of democrats and liberal agendas. Any conservative that is a member is being screwed over.