U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and nine Democratic senators are looking to repeal the "Cadillac" tax on high-cost health plans in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the the Ax the Tax on Middle Class Americans' Health Plans Act, H.R.879.
The "Cadillac" tax is a 40 percent non-deductible excise tax on health coverage that provides high-cost benefits. It is currently included in the ACA to discourage companies from offering plans that would threaten high costs of health care and was scheduled to be put into effect in 2018.
However, Hultgren and the aforementioned senators, including Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), believe that the tax inhibits Americans from choosing the insurance that is best for them.
"Forcing Americans to buy health insurance plans, and then taxing those same plans, has been an exercise in governmental mismanagement since the Affordable Care Tax was signed into law," Hultgren told McHenry Times. "Americans should have the freedom to choose what health plan serves them and their families best without fear of the government slamming them with added costs. I similarly urge the House to act on my State Healthcare Options Act to allow states the freedom and flexibility to pursue their own health insurance possibilities."
Hultgren also wrote a letter to the editor for the Daily Chronicle where he criticized the tax. "If they don't change their coverage, more than 50 percent of employers will risk triggering the 40 percent tax in the next seven years," Hultgren said.
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