Senator Warren says she will make an announcement about her Medicare for All plan that will include how she will pay for it.
"We need to talk about the cost, and I plan, over the next few weeks, to put out a plan that talks about specifically the cost of 'Medicare for All' and specifically how we pay for it," Warren said at a town hall in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday.
I have no idea what she will state. I don’t know what words she will use.
Will Warren’s plan include words to the effect that her plan will raises "taxes" on the wealthy and middle class? Or will she choose a more nuanced word?
Ronald Reagan scrupulously avoided the "T" word, and spoke of "revenue enhancements" among other things. Is there anything wrong with Sen. Warren calling the payments for the Medicare for All plan "Medicare premiums"?
But Warren could hypothetically announce:
"My plan will be paid for by Medicare Premiums, that will be paid for on a sliding scale. The wealthiest who can afford the most, will pay the most. The poorest Americans will pay nothing. And the vast Middle Class will pay less in Medicare Premiums and deductibles under my plan, than they pay now."
Trump, pundits and right wing talking points may well call it a tax, but they will call it tax no matter what anyone says, just like the right wing said that Kerry lied about his Purple Heart, or that Hillary intentionally violated intelligence protocols, or that Obama wasn’t born in the United States.