Don Nickles: “Our colleagues are proposing a tax credit for long-term health care. The Senate has passed that in a couple of bills. We…”

“Our colleagues are proposing a tax credit for long-term health care. The Senate has passed that in a couple of bills. We passed it on minimum wage. We passed it on the Patients' Bill of Rights, giving an above-the-line deduction. There is a difference between a deduction and a credit. By a credit, they are saying: You should pay no taxes whatsoever. We are saying: You should get a deduction. There is a difference. With a credit, you are saying that is a better priority. The Federal Government has decided that is a better priority than your health care because people don't get a credit for their health care deductions. We are going to say this is more important. I think it is equally important. As a matter of fact, the bill we passed said we should have an above-the-line deduction for health care and for long-term health care costs. We want to encourage both. But to say that one is more important than the other, as this bill does, by saying that long-term health care is more important than health care insurance, is a mistake.”