Posted: Oct 14, 2005 By: Cheryl MacGregor

Subject: Taxing health benefits

Comment: I am the Director of Benefits and Compensation for a 500 employee non-profit organization. We serve the frail elderly through a network of assisted living and skilled nursing centers. The average wage for our front line workers is approximately $10.00 per hour. Many work two jobs to make ends meet. We are struggling to provide affordable health coverage for them, and have been forced by rising costs to limit their choice to Kaiser traditional HMO plus a very expensive Kaiser Point of Service plan.
This proposal to tax the value of their health benefits is disastrous. We should be exploring ways to make health care reasonable and affordable to our working class populations, not searching for ways to increase their burdens.