Obama urges excise tax on high-cost insurance

New York Times, January 7, 2010

President Obama told House Democratic leaders that they should include a tax on high-priced insurance policies favored by the Senate in the final version of far-reaching healthcare legislation, reports the New York Times. The White House has long expressed a preference for the excise tax on high-cost plans, which health economists say could help control long-term healthcare spending. But House Democrats and many organized labor groups have resisted the idea because the tax may hit a number of generous union-sponsored health plans.