Senators overwhelmingly approved a measure Thursday that would postpone Obamacare’s unpopular “Cadillac tax,” which is a tax on high-end health insurance plans that was meant to help pay the costs of the health law.
The measure, which passed 90-10, is an amendment to a bill that would repeal much of Obamacare. The Senate is expected to pass the repeal measure, after which it will be vetoed by President Obama.
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But passage of the Cadillac tax amendment signaled a strong bipartisan desire to get rid of the tax, which is staunchly opposed by employee unions.
“There is no opposition in America to this legislation,” said Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., the sponsor of the amendment.
Heller’s amendment would keep the 40 percent tax from being implemented for a decade. The tax is scheduled to begin in 2017 and is to become a major source of funding for Obamacare.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Cadillac tax is expected to raise $87 billion over the first decade.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats have proposed a way to cover the cost of repealing the tax.
