1,502 Pages of Taxes and Fess

That's the Baucus Obamacare bill, with highlights provided by Don Surber:

Weighing in at over three reams of paper comes Democratic Senator Max Baucus’s epic “A BILL To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.”

It is online in PDF format — all 1,502 pages.

I skipped to the end: “EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 20 subsections (a) through (d) of this section shall apply to amounts paid or incurred after December 31, 2008, in taxable years beginning after such date.”

So this is a bill retroactive to before this Congress met in session (Jan. 4) and before this president was inaugurated (Jan. 20).

Next is the moneyshot:

TITLE VI—REVENUE PROVISIONS
Subtitle A—Revenue Offset Provisions
Sec. 6001. Excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage.
Sec. 6002. Inclusion of cost of employer-sponsored health coverage on W–2.
Sec. 6003. Distributions for medicine qualified only if for prescribed drug or insulin.
Sec. 6004. Increase in additional tax on distributions from HSAs not used for qualified medical expenses.
Sec. 6005. Limitation on health flexible spending arrangements under cafeteria plans.
Sec. 6006. Expansion of information reporting requirements.
Sec. 6007. Additional requirements for charitable hospitals.
Sec. 6008. Imposition of annual fee on branded prescription pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers.
Sec. 6009. Imposition of annual fee on medical device manufacturers and importers.
Sec. 6010. Imposition of annual fee on health insurance providers.
Sec. 6011. Study and report of effect on veterans health care.
Sec. 6012. Elimination of deduction for expenses allocable to Medicare Part D subsidy.
Sec. 6013. Modification of itemized deduction for medical expenses.
Sec. 6014. Limitation on excessive remuneration paid by certain health insurance providers.
Subtitle B—Other Provisions
Sec. 6021. Exclusion of health benefits provided by Indian tribal governments.
Sec. 6022. Establishment of simple cafeteria plans for small businesses.
Sec. 6023. Qualifying therapeutic discovery project credit.

So we are going to make health care “more affordable” by taxing health care and prescription drugs and medical devices (heart stents and the like) and health insurance companies.

And this is before they add the public option which you just know is coming.

What a mess.