The other day, I wrote about how Democrats were against unions’ desires and backing a tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans. I figured maybe the Democratic leaders would push Card Check as a way to get back in the unions’ good graces, but it turns off, union bosses demanded-and got-their payoff a lot sooner than that.
As this National Review editorial describes, Democrats have reportedly embraced the idea of a “carve-out” so that health insurance premiums that were negotiated through collective bargaining are exempt from the new tax. As the NRO editors write:
Even after all the unsavory bargains and rotten deals that have characterized the rush to get this thing passed (the “Louisiana Purchase,” the “Cornhusker Kickback,” etc.) the “Labor Loophole” surely takes the prize. A few Democrats in the Senate already tried this trick and were laughed out of the smoke-filled room, so nakedly obvious was the special-interest favoritism at work. That the Democratic party is seriously reconsidering this deal is a sign of how desperate it has become to pass a bill – any bill – that shoves the federal foot through the waiting-room door.
Usually politicians try to hide when they are engaged in blatant political horse-trading. Not so with this health care bill: Apparently, Democrats are no longer capable of such embarrassment.