Want to pay more for your health insurance?

In a blog I read of the Minority House Leader John Boehner, this article describes the nastiness we're starting to expect from the House Majority democrats. Here's the idea (quoting from Newt Gingrich's article):

“Beginning in 2011, every American who owns health insurance, including every senior in Medicare, would get a tax increase. This tax hike would raise billions of dollars by charging federal premium taxes on all insurance policies to fund a comparative effectiveness research trust fund. This new federal agency would assess the clinical value of prescription drugs, devices, and medical treatments. This is certainly a worthy and necessary initiative, but expanding the federal government and raising taxes on virtually every American with insurance is not the answer.”

“It is easy to foresee a time when today’s hidden tax increase will be the primary driver of moving Americans from private insurance to Washington-controlled bureaucratic health care. Benevolent bureaucrats will say, ‘If you don't want to pay the 20 percent premium tax on your private insurance, you can enroll in this government program that doesn't have any tax.’”

Quoting Boehner:
The Democrats’ bill includes $193 billion in Medicare cuts, new tax hikes on working families, new benefits for illegal immigrants, and a new ‘Hillary-Care’ plan for government-run health care. While Republicans support renewing SCHIP to provide health care to children in low-income families, they oppose the Democrats’ poorly-crafted, partisan proposal that works against seniors, working families, and taxpayers.