Repealing the “Cadillac Tax”
The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the healthcare system like we’ve never seen before. Thanks to swift legislative action, we’ve been able to cushion the pandemic’s biggest blows, including repealing the so-called “Cadillac” health insurance tax.
The tax was set to kick in this year, and it would’ve imposed a 40% excise tax on employer-sponsored health insurance plans that exceeded $10,000 annual premiums for a single person or $27,500 for a family. Some companies would’ve been forced to reduce benefits or increase individual out-of-pocket contributions.
The Cadillac tax also would’ve been devastating for industry-leading health plans like ours at Local 369. We know that you work hard and believe that you and your family deserve the benefits to match.
We fought hard to the oppose the tax, and we were heard, loud and clear. Congress delayed its implementation twice and finally killed it.
Thank you to our strong leaders for standing up for working families.
Supporting Medicare For All
Crises are moments of opportunity for policy change, and COVID-19 is no different. Support for Medicare For All is surging to all-time highs. A new poll from Hill-HarrisX shows 69% of registered voters now support a single-payer healthcare system.
There’s lots of reasons why there’s new support for Medicare For All. We’ve underfunded our public health agencies and community health centers. None of the federal stimulus bills have included plans on how to finance our healthcare system in the long-term. And millions of workers subjected to COVID-19-related job losses are getting hit with sky-high COBRA payments to maintain their coverage.
Working people need immediate relief. Given the ever-changing dynamics of this current crisis, Medicare For All is one possible solution. Enacting Medicare For All would create a universal health insurance program with unified financing and governance. It would allow you to go to any doctor regardless of network, eliminate copays, and most importantly, not tie a worker’s on-the-job hours to their healthcare plan.
Medicare For All can’t prevent another COVID-19, but it could help us plan, coordinate, and save lives.
Dan Leary
UWUA Local 369 Secretary-Treasurer