Democrats Reach Agreement on Healthcare Bill

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Labor Leaders Not Happy With Cadillac Tax

Everyone is so precious. No one wants to make any sacrifices for the common good. Labor leaders, who Obama met with yesterday, are saying labor won't come out to vote if their Cadillac plans are taxed because they don't view their health plans as a Cadillac.

How many people have robust benefits such as this:

The proposed 40 percent tax would affect family plans worth more than $23,000 and those worth $8,500 for individuals and could raise $149 billion in new tax revenues over 10 years.

Obama may consider fixes to Labor's complaints, such as raising the threshold. Kaiser Health news has summaries from various news outlets on Obama's meeting with Labor:

Labor leaders were invited to the White House to discuss negotiations to merge the House- and Senate-passed health overhaul packages.

The Washington Post: "The final bill will not include the House's government-run insurance plan, or 'public option'; it will probably include the Senate's new tax on high-cost health plans that could affect many union members; and its penalties for employers who do not provide insurance coverage will probably be closer to the more lenient terms in the Senate bill." Earlier in the day, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka warned at the National Press Club that Democrats risk a replay of the "Democratic blowout in the 1994 elections, when, after the passage of NAFTA and other disappointments to unions, "'there was no way to persuade enough working Americans to go to the polls when they couldn't tell the difference between the two parties'" (MacGillis, 1/12).

The New York Times: During a private session designed to "search for a sort of compromise," President Barack Obama told the union leaders "that he remained committed to taxing high-cost insurance policies as a way to drive down health costs. But he also signaled that he was willing to amend the proposal to 'make this work for working families,' a senior administration official said."

The proposed 40 percent tax would affect family plans worth more than $23,000 and those worth $8,500 for individuals and could raise $149 billion in new tax revenues over 10 years. Read more at KHN

Obama an Effective President Says McCain

More from John McCain, who told CNN's John King that the stimulus has had an effect. He's just worried about the deficit. I think we're all concerned about the deficit, especially Obama:

McCain says blue dogs always bark, never bite, then roll over and play dead:

McCain on Palin's quitting and the GOP's future without Hispanic leaders and voters:

McCain on Twitter: