Obama is pressed to tax health benefits

Washington Post, June 15, 2009

The White House is caught in a battle over how to finance a comprehensive overhaul of America's healthcare system, as key Democrats advocate a tax plan that could require President Obama to break his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class. Obama and congressional leaders have vowed to pay for a sweeping expansion of the healthcare system without additional borrowing. Much of the money is likely to come from reining in spending on federal health programs for the elderly and the poor. The rest of the cash will probably come from new taxes, but Democrats are deeply divided over which taxes to raise.