State Rep. David McSweeney is featured in an article about legislators’ health insurance in an Illinois Network News article. (The Illinois News Network is a part of the Illinois Policy Institute.)
The headline is
GA health benefits cost taxpayers $1.2 million
Legislators paid $251,000.
143 out of 177 participated in the plan.
The rest, including McSweeney, have opted out.
He says the perk should be scaled back, if not eliminate.
Recently, a candidate for retiring State Rep. Mike Tryon’s seat in the General Assembly, Paul Serwatka, made acceptatance of the insurance benefits (there are life insurance policies, too) an issue in the four-person race.
The two other men in the race, Dan Wilbrandt and Allen Skillicorn, took the same stance as Serwatka.
The lone woman, Carolyn Schofield, was unwilling to join them, but did say that she was on her husband’s insurance policey now.
[See Serwatka, Wilbrandt & Skillicorn Say No to Pension & Health Benefits; Schofield Undecided.]
State legislators have the same health and life benefits as all other state employees.
Starting in 2018 under the Affordable Care Act and in 2018 the state could begin paying an excise tax to the federal government for the benefits, the article says.
Aca requires ’employers’ (taxpayers) pay the 40% excise tax on Cadillac health plan benefits.
Because these are alsoconsidered taxable fringe benefits of ‘highly compensated employees’, there is additional tax which taxpayers must pay on behalf of Cadillac Plan recipients.
Because the excise tax pickup is apt to be characterized as a taxable fringe benefit, the excise tax paid with public money will be characterized as additional taxable salary.
Then, tax on that additional salary will need to be paid.
Unions will no doubt insist that public money pay that additional tax in addition to the excise tax.
Then, the additional pickup tax will be characterized as additional salary and that in turn will be demanded by unions as a benefit.
That will create additional tax burden …and so on…until tax on tax on tax approaches zero.
Congressmen may get Obamacare exchange plans and br reimbursed, or get their own insurance and pay for it themselves.
Here are 2015 monthly premiums forObamacare exchange plans:
(Age 50, zip 60098, single, married, married with 2 teenage dependent children):
1. Age 50 single, silver plan: $321.
Platinum plan: $584.
2. Age 50 married to age 50 dependent: silver plan: $809.
gold plan : $1044.
3. Age 50 married to age 50 2 children <21 years of age:
Silver plan: $1097.
Gold plan: $1320.
McSweeney is the real deal.
A man for the people.
A rare bird in politics!
correction:
silver plan for 2 age 50 monthly premium: $642
gold plan: $800