Voters Reject Health Care Tax Proposals
Posted on: Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 12:00 CDT
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Voters from across the political spectrum are strongly opposed to changing the tax status of employer-provided health care benefits even if such a proposal were part of a tax reform package that reduces tax rates, three new surveys released today found.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040830/AHIPLOGO )
The polls found that large majorities of Republican and Democratic voters in the political bellwether states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina oppose eliminating or reducing the employer deduction for health care benefits in return for lower overall tax rates. The surveys were conducted by Ayres, McHenry and Associates.
More than nine-out-of-ten voters from both parties and in all three states say they support keeping health care benefits free from taxation rather than taxing health care benefits to pay for reductions in other taxes. The polls come as a presidential panel is evaluating various options to reform the federal tax code.
"Our polling consistently shows that voters want Congress to strengthen, not weaken, tax incentives that help individuals and employers afford health care coverage," said Karen Ignagni, President of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). "Voters are sending a strong message that they don't want the IRS coming between them and their health care."
"It is very unusual to see Democrats and Republicans so united on such a major domestic policy issue," said Dr. Q. Whitfield Ayres, President of Ayres, McHenry & Associates. "Opposition to eliminating health care tax incentives bridges the partisan divide like very few issues."
Voters are concerned that changing the tax status of health benefits could lead to diminished access to health care coverage. Two-thirds of voters surveyed say they are concerned that eliminating or reducing the employer deduction for health care benefits could lead their employer to drop health care coverage.
The surveys found that health care is front-and-center among voters' domestic concerns. Among all domestic issues other than Hurricane Katrina recovery, health care ranks first in Iowa and New Hampshire, and second in South Carolina.
The polls were conducted as part of AHIP's periodic surveying of voter attitudes in key presidential primary states. Poll results and a summary of findings are located at:
http://www.ahip.org/redirect/TaxReform.CombinedToplines.IANHSC.doc http://www.ahip.org/redirect/TaxReform.AHIP.doc
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America's Health Insurance Plans
CONTACT: Mohit Ghose of America's Health Insurance Plans,+1-202-778-8494
Web site: http://www.ahip.org/
Source: PRNewswire
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