To: Mac Con Ulaidh who wrote (60041 ) 8/2/2009 8:49:10 PM From: Brumar89 Read Replies (1) | Respond to Frankly the cost of my health care doesn't enter into commodity prices that my company's revenue is based on. What to do with the health-tax exclusion? Economist Milton Friedman suggests eliminating it. “There is no more reason for medical-care expenses to be tax deductible than for food, clothing, and housing expenses to be tax deductible,” he says. “A minimum deduction for all of them is provided in the personal exemption.” Given the political environment, Congress is unlikely to take this step. A more acceptable approach would be for the federal government to end the tax code’s discrimination in favor of employer-based health coverage. In the short term, this could be done quickly and easily: allow individuals and families buying insurance to deduct the premium without itemizing. Because of the hesitation in promoting a major health-care proposal post-HillaryCare, the credits-for-exclusion change could be phased in over several years. manhattan-institute.org
