Romer: President Stands By Cadillac Tax
EmailThe President stands by the proposed Cadillac tax — that’s what his top economist told me on This Week. Dr. Christina Romer said, “The important thing the president has said that he thinks that this excise tax on Cadillac plans is important. He's been convinced by experts across the ideological spectrum that say this is one of those things that genuinely slows the growth rate of costs, and anybody that's worried about the budget deficit knows that we've got to — to do that.”
Romer did say the President is open to tinkering with the details of the Cadillac tax, “there are design issues here….he's going to be continuing to — to work with the Congress to say, are there ways to — to make it work better?” But she added that the President wants to maintain the focus on cost containment.
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My god…whatever happened to NOT being one sided….you tried your best to bring the term “liberal” to blame 5 times in the last minute alone…if you were a judge I’d bring you up on charges
Posted by: Randy | January 10, 2010, 11:53 am 11:53 am
Power house? What qualifies Liz Cheney to be included among power houses? Next!
Posted by: Robin | January 10, 2010, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Why does This Week continue to have morons like Liz Cheney on? Leave her to Fox, please. She has no true qualifications to vomit her opinions and offers nothing except spuing her tired, old, unfounded and twisted crap.
Posted by: Scott | January 10, 2010, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Small business, small business, small business. Hello Dr Romer. Do you have the slightest clue?
Posted by: Jim A | January 10, 2010, 12:16 pm 12:16 pm
Thank you George Will and Robert Reich for your insightful comments regarding Harry Reid’s remarks. The issue of politics, race, and ethnicity deserves a much more attentive eye than the retort of Liz Cheney who bandies about words to incite the conservative republican base without bringing any critical analysis to the discussion.
Posted by: Donna | January 10, 2010, 12:27 pm 12:27 pm
I agree with the listeners who express concern over Liz Cheney’s thoughtless negative contributions (I’m trying to resist ‘rantings’). This Week has a very strong record for *usually* having intelligent contributions and guests who can disagree in fair and interesting ways. In Liz Cheney’s case, none of that happens, and it’s disappointing to see her time and again derail the discussion.
Posted by: Jen F. | January 10, 2010, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
As soon as I saw the name Cheney on the program description, I deleted the show. I won’t be recording This
Week nor tuning in again. I am sick of the MSM stacking the deck with the Cheneys of this world. Buh-bye!
A former viewer
Posted by: Katharine | January 10, 2010, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm
Individuals like Liz Cheney do not bring the education or working experience to add anything of value to your panel. She is pushing her dad’s agenda, which if you review his track record is the root cause of many of our nation’s problems now; serious problems. She is the stereotypical entitled ‘white kid’ that has benefited from the high powered networking of her family and to present her on your show does not add credibility to you or the seriousness of the topics discussed. This country needs ideas and depth of intelligent conversation and your show could be a venue for that discussion. Please review your guests qualifications and the insight and experience they bring to the table.
Posted by: Yvonne | January 10, 2010, 12:57 pm 12:57 pm
Liz Cheney is an idiot and I am tired of her face being on television. She is a liar and trying desperately to change the legacy of her war crime father. They are both treasonists when they say the President is not keeping this country safe and they should both be put on trial (of course her father could keep our courts busy for a lifetime). She stated that the quote in the book Game Change about her father was not true, well maybe the one from Harry Reid isn’t either…(we know it is, but why is it that her father’s isn’t?) They need to go hide in their hole and leave us alone!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Suzanne | January 10, 2010, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm
Why does ABC continue to waste our time with the likes of Liz Cheney. I usually enjoy This Week for the insight of its roundtable. I can’t remember ever hearing Liz Chaney being anything but negative regarding anything relating to the current administration. Please limit your guest list to those who will add value to your program.
Posted by: JimM | January 10, 2010, 1:27 pm 1:27 pm
Is everyone done dissing Liz Cheney? Is it safe to comment on the subject in question?
Well, going to do it anyway. How do ‘cadillac plans’ increase cost to the government or anyone not covered by the plan? Seriously?
The plans are usually through employers desperate to recruit and keep high-quality employees.
The employer pays more for the plan, and sometimes so does the employee, sometimes not. The insurance plan pays more to the health-care provider. The employee gets better health insurance, reducing cost to them. The health-care provider gets higher payments from the private insurer. Higher profits for the health-care provider.
There is NO cost to other citizens or to the government. This sounds like sour grapes to me: if everyone can’t have an excellent plan that provides better benefits, than no one should.
Remember the President’s promise: if you have insurance you can keep it. Where was the qualifier that said: …can keep it, but you’re have to pay more for it. Because that is exactly what this is. Because the employer and insurer is going to increase the cost burden to the employee.
The real reason for the cadillac tax is so obvious: forcing more employees to drop excellent health insurance for whatever they can afford from either a public option or whatever health plans the government forces private insurers to sell.
The American citizen is being manipulated and corralled into taking what the government says; another loss of choice.
Posted by: malcat | January 10, 2010, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm
Obama tinkering with the cadillac tax,will probably come down to, if your a Union or ACORN member your cadillac plan will not be taxed,only those that fall outside of these organizations will have to pay more taxes.
Posted by: stormerF2 | January 10, 2010, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm
Based on the comments regarding Liz Cheney it appears that many people do not want to hear another point of view. I anjoy listening to different points of view, even those I don’t agree with.
Posted by: tillyerkt | January 10, 2010, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
This Cadillac Tax is a great idea to those that can afford a New Cadillac. For the middle class that would have to pay it, It is a travesty. We’ll get stuck either owing the IRS, OR GO FOR A CRAP HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN where we give all of our money to the doctors, and the rest of the medical community, or die, so that our families can afford to live. Maybe there are death squads in the mix. Thank you Mr. President. Now I’ve got to tell all the people I shared your support with, that I was wrong. What ever happened to Ross Perot?
Posted by: Gary | January 10, 2010, 5:01 pm 5:01 pm
I love when Dr Romer said that for the “ten year time frame” the proposed medical plan is revenue neutral. They increase taxes for 10 years for 6 years of benefits. It is the old shell game! (watch the other hand)
Posted by: tillyerkt | January 10, 2010, 5:03 pm 5:03 pm
Christina Romer making economic decisions for the rest of the public, is just like McCain sitting in his 7 houses, (Remember that Mr. Obama), saying the economy isn’t that bad. Everything is fine, when you have more money than you need, but when you are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to feed a family, just one step away from bankruptcy, it’s called reality. I thought Mr. Obama understood that.
Posted by: Gary | January 10, 2010, 7:02 pm 7:02 pm
“Tinkering” translation: We will exempt the unions. You won’t know about it, because you can’t see the bill.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | January 10, 2010, 7:03 pm 7:03 pm
OH…I misread the quote..I thought she said OBAMA was thinking about tinkering with the cadillac!..you know, since he basically owns GM….I see Romer meant the cadillac TAX!..oh!!…oh,oh.
Posted by: cindy | January 10, 2010, 7:11 pm 7:11 pm
For many, the Cadillac Tax will penalize them for not working for a large company. My sister, a former Johns Hopkins coordinator of bone marrow transplants, knows insurance and calls my policy “dreamland”. Yet the combined employee and employer cost is $6000 per year per person. The employer self-insures prescriptions. I don’t know how that’s going to be figured in, but it appears we’ll be well under the $8500 cap.
But if I was self-employed and got individual insurance from the same company (BCBS), I looked at their website and I’d have at least $750 per month per person to just approach it’s quality – $9000 per year.
Posted by: The_Mick | January 10, 2010, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
Back to tinkering..what does that really mean? OBAMA”S coming back to take just the red M&Ms off my ice-cream, or he’s sneaking up behind me to remove a a whole scoop… take a big bite out of the bottom of my cone..what?? whaat?!
Posted by: cindy | January 10, 2010, 7:19 pm 7:19 pm
Not to belabor this..but they keep talking about how uncertainty is bad for the economy..look at this one article…”OBAMA STANDS BY CADILLAC TAX…BUT IS OPEN TO TINKERING.”..WO, that’s like wedding vows with the address to the neighborhood XXX-strip club attached. geez.
Posted by: cindy | January 10, 2010, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
Cost containment, is a joke. There can be no cost containment, without removing the profiteering from health care. That can only be done with national health care for everyone, which is not even being considered by the Obama administration, so cost containment is simply a pipe dream.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 11, 2010, 9:06 am 9:06 am
The politician’s populist plans NEVER work, because power corrupts and government bankrupts everything it touches. For those that will listen, history shouts over and over that we cannot sustain the wild spending and government takeover of business, banking, health care, and continue to inflate unfunded entitlement programs! Like history tells us, it will be utter and complete disaster!!!
Posted by: watchinbo | January 11, 2010, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
Do those who continue to support Obama have anything to offer except ad hominem attacks on anyone who points out the way he breaks his commitments to his supporters?
Posted by: Miri | January 11, 2010, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
Do those who continue to support Obama have anything to offer except ad hominem attacks on anyone who points out the way he breaks his commitments to his supporters? Posted by Miri
They can find no wrong in the chosen one,Socialist or Communist they could care less. Good post Miri
Posted by: Johnny L | January 11, 2010, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Funny how the libs hate Liz Chaney. She must frustrate the heck out of them!
Posted by: TM | January 20, 2010, 1:31 am 1:31 am