Frank Pallone: “Under the President's tax plan, a low-income person who was previously uninsured would receive about a $1,200 tax break.…”

“Under the President's tax plan, a low-income person who was previously uninsured would receive about a $1,200 tax break. That is assuming that they are paying taxes. At a time when the average cost of coverage for a family is around $11,000 a year, a $1,200 tax break is not going to be enough to get that person insured. In contrast, the higher-income person who was previously uninsured would receive nearly $6,000. So the problem is, the person who is more likely to benefit from this is the higher-income person who doesn't have a very good plan. If their plan is good, then they are even going to get taxed on it. So your point I think is very well taken, how is that little bit of a tax break going to get that person to be able to go out into the individual market and buy a health insurance policy? It is simply not the case.”