Little People have to pay after all

U.S. House lawmakers may agree to pay for the nation’s health-care overhaul by adopting versions of Senate proposals to raise Medicare payroll taxes and tax health benefits for the first time, Democratic aides said.

House leaders may also discard a plan to impose a surtax on the wealthiest Americans, which has come under fire from some Senate Democrats, aides said.

Of course, any billionair or millionair friends among Senate Democrats? Or they themselves qualify in those subjected to the excercise tax? I think the both cases.

Should House members agree to drop their proposed surtax on high-income Americans, that would leave a funding gap. The measure, which would impose an additional 5.4 percent levy on people with incomes of at least $500,000 and couples earning more than $1 million, would raise $460.5 billion over 10 years.

To make up the lost revenue, negotiators are considering boosting the Medicare payroll tax increase beyond the 0.9 percent contained in the Senate legislation.

The Senate tax would apply to individuals earning at least $200,000 and joint filers earning at least $250,000. Negotiators are considering applying any expansion of the increase to a higher income group, the aides said.