LONG-TERM CARE: Clinton May Propose Tax Cut For FY 2000
The Wall Street Journal reports that President Clinton may include a $5 billion, five-year tax cut in his FY 2000 budget proposal to offset the costs associated with long- term care for the elderly and disabled. Administration officials cautioned, however, that "no decisions" have been made and that "a range of options [are] being considered." The Journal reports that although "grants or mandates might be more efficient," a tax cut would be more palatable to a Republican-controlled Congress. "This issue is going to get more and more significant as the years pass," said Ron Pollack of Families USA, "There's some significant support for it, but (there are) some questions ... as to whether encouraging long-term care coverage via the tax code is the best, most efficient, more equitable way to do that" (Hitt, 12/7).
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