Tell Congress To Support Health Insurance Reform Without The Taxation Of Benefits

Congress is currently reconciling differences between the two separate health insurance reform bills passed in the U.S. House and Senate. The Senate bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, includes a provision to place an excise tax on certain insurance plans. This tax will simply end up being passed along to the middle class by insurance companies either in the form of higher premiums or reduced benefits. Now is the time to weigh in with your Senators and Representatives, who can leverage House and Senate Leadership with their opinion, about the need for making sure this provision is not included in the final bill. 

It is important that Members of Congress, especially Leadership, understand the damage that the excise tax provision could have on working Americans. This tax would fall on one-third of Americans in 10 years. The average affected household will pay $7,600 more in taxes between 2013 and 2019, according to a recent analysis of the proposal.

Please call or email the offices of your Members of Congress to encourage them to weigh in with Leadership on the burden that the excise tax will put on working families and encourage them to work to ensure that this tax is not included in the final bill. Call 1-877-264-4226 to be connected to your Senators’ and Representative’s offices. A sample email is provided below to send to their offices as well.

Hoffa Leads Teamsters Fight for Health Care Reform
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa is spearheading the effort to support President Obama’s urgent call for health care reform.

Hoffa wrote an op-ed for the Detroit News on July 9.
Read the article here.

Take Action Against Taxation of Benefits
Teamsters responded to the July 2 Take Action alert with 7,525 emails sent telling members of Congress to oppose the taxation of health care benefits. Teamsters also sent 147 letters to Congress opposing taxation of health care benefits. The proposal to pay for health care reform by taxing benefits appears to be dead for now, but we must remain vigilant to make sure it doesn’t reappear.
Follow this link to Take Action on this important issue.

Members Take Action
When President Barack Obama went on the road to take his health care pitch to Ohio, he was introduced by retired Teamster Rick Vacha.

Vacha told of his own struggles with the health care system after he retired from his job, then had to go back to work because of health care costs.

“I’m proud of Rick Vacha for standing up on this important issue and speaking from a middle-class perspective,” said Al Mixon, Secretary-Treasurer of Cleveland’s Local 507.

The Knoxville Journal recently published a letter to the editor from Danny Castleberry, a member of Local 519 about health care.
Read the letter here.