Harkin: Senate Dems Looking At House Funding Ideas | The New Republic

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by Suzy Khimm

The big question looming over reform negotiations in the Senate is how to pay for expanding insurance coverage. The Senate Finance bill calls for an excise tax, to be levied on plans with generous benefits. But many Democrats don't like the idea. So will they scale it back? And, if so, can they will come up with an alternative? Senator Tom Harkin, new chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, seems to think the answers are "yes" and "yes."

In a conference call today hosted by Families USA, Harkin said the Democrats were likely to make “modifications” to the excise tax. Harkin said that the starting point for taxing such plans--currently $8,000 for individuals and $21,000 for families---was “too low” and said the minimum levels would rise.
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