
Trump pitches 0% payroll tax rate for the rest of 2020 - saradhi
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/trump-pitched-0percent-payroll-tax-rate-for-the-rest-of-this-year-white-house-officials-say.html
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charwalker
These taxes fund Medicare and Social Security which his administration and the
GOP wants to cut back. Although reducing payroll taxes would be helpful to
businesses, these programs may be necessary to help citizens infected or
displaced by COVID-19. Medicare may need a buff to compensate for strain on
the program if only for testing while those of retirement age (and more likely
to be impacted by the virus) might opt to leave the workforce during this
period and start drawing on their entitlements like Social Security. They have
been paying into it their entire lives, they are entitled to now draw on those
benefits.

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naveen99
Money is fungible. They could just make medical care free for all for 2020
also if they want... but this will have more of a general economic stimulus
that think.

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charwalker
How they go about that would be interesting. Would they make it so offices can
right of the cost and gt it back next tax season? Would they inject cash to
pay off those bills directly? Would they subsidize care in addition or in
place of insurance?

Each could have a different long term outcome. A future payoff will still hurt
the offices that are 'made whole' but don't have cash now to pay employees or
bills. Paying bills directly would emulate basic income or universal
healthcare without taking part in the pricing discussion possible leading to
gouging. And subsidies would do something similar as offices could raise
prices above insurance minimums up to whatever the government pays out but
could allow more control long term as the government muscles into the
insurance space generally and can start setting prices like universal
healthcare.

I think this is the perfect opportunity to be a bit authoritarian on
healthcare policy. The left wants a universal system like medicare for all and
the right wants the current administration to look good ahead of the 2020
election especialy if the 'economy' (stock market) is tanking.

The administration could declare a medical emergency and gain access to
additional funding or work with congress to up funding or work on a universal
medicare for all implementation. The emergency allows quick action and a
scapegoat to point at if things don't work well initially (something like the
ACA websites issues). The administration can then expand medicare to all
citizens (emphasis on citizens for better optics to the right) and move to
partner with insurance groups for outreach or expansion while paying health
care offices directly and naming their price.

Win Win. The US has a psuedo universal system, the government can manage
pricing for all bringing down prices for care and drugs, insurance companies
become the hands actually doing the work and any layoffs can be pointed at the
emergency or slow down vs the new policy.

Of course insurance groups will not want to work on this as it would mean they
would lose a ton of money or die off but then again I'm not a policy maker or
educated to write policy, just posing hypotheticals on the internet.

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Bubbadoo
Funny when you figure he's funding DOD spending to the tune of almost $1
trillion. Besides, the exalted Mitch McConnell has already nixed the idea of a
payroll tax cut-funded stimulus.

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Sohcahtoa82
I don't understand how anybody collecting social security can continue to root
for politicians that want to cut it.

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JohnFen
Surely there's a better way than raiding medicare and (especially) social
security. This is madness.

