Yesterday I linked to a Haaretz story on fear of Americans abroad in Israel that the mandate to purchase insurance in the health-care reform legislation would meant they’d have to pay $750 a year to the U.S. government for health care to which they wouldn’t have access. But since a provision was put in the House bill exempting those living abroad and the problematic language only remained in the Senate legislation, I speculated that legislators were aware of the problem. And today, Haaretz follows up with a report that says the Senate bill likely will be changed before final passage, according to activists and accountants:
"In the House bill, the excise tax was squashed and I am assuming it will be squashed in the Senate too," said Joanne Yaron, chairwoman of Democrats Abroad-Israel. It was due to Democrats Abroad that the House removed the tax from its bill, she said.
"We have people who are very close to the issue and keeping their eyes open," Yaron said. "If something like that gets into the [Senate] bill, I am fairly certain they will come forward again and point out the reasons why it can’t be levied on oversea Americans. It simply wouldn’t be fair." ….
However, that doesn’t mean Americans in Israel should sit by passively, she said. "I don’t think it’s a bad idea writing to your senators," she said, referring to AACI’s initiative. "I may write to mine."
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