According to the NYT, President Bush's health care plan would "provide tax breaks for low- and moderate-income workers to buy insurance." Put this line in the big HUH? category. President Bush's plan gives people who buy their own insurance the option to deduct the cost from their taxable income. This provides the biggest tax breaks for higher income workers who are in the highest tax bracket.
In fact, it is no tax break at all for tens of millions of moderate income workers who pay no income tax. These families could take the option of paying less in Social Security taxes, but this would be at the price of large reductions in future Social Security benefits, not necessarily a good deal.
I trust that President Bush's people will demand that the NYT correct its distortion of the President's plan.
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