Hawley Pitches New Health Care Tax Plan

[applegrove]

Hawley Pitches New Health Care Tax Plan

December 3, 2025 at 8:51 am EST By Taegan Goddard 60 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2025/12/03/hawley-pitches-new-health-care-tax-plan/

“Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is pitching his colleagues — and President Donald Trump — on a new health care plan,” Politico reports.

“Hawley believes his new bill, which would allow all tax payers to deduct up to $25,000 per person in medical expenses, would help offer Republicans an agenda to coalesce behind while boosting the GOP’s affordability message heading into an election year. The bill also allows out of pocket spending on premiums to be deducted.”

Applegrove: and the people who are too poor to pay much in taxes? GOP want the working poor to die. No other explanation fits.

[Happy Hoosier]

1. One knee replacement costs over $200K.

I had 2. The Republicans are a joke.

Employer-based Health-care premiums are already pre-tax.

[chouchou]

2. "Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is pitching his colleagues on a new health plan"

Quite frankly, I wouldn't let Josh Hawley pitch my garbage into my outside trash can...He'd screw it up somehow.
His past "Bills" are atrocious.

[subterranean]

3. This plan would exclusively benefit the rich.

Last edited Wed Dec 3, 2025, 12:17 PM - Edit history (1)

It would only benefit people who are wealthy enough to itemize deductions. In other words, only about 10 percent of taxpayers.

Correction: After looking at it further, it appears the proposed deduction would be in addition to the standard deduction, so you wouldn't have to itemize. But the fact remains it would be heavily skewed in favor of the wealthy. People who don't owe any federal income tax (about 30-40% of Americans) would receive no benefit at all from this.

[Wiz Imp]

7. And even then, a tax deduction lowers the taxable income, NOT the tax itself

People at the highest marginal tax rate (37% which applies to very few people) would save a maximum of $9250 in taxes. People at the lowest marginal rate would save just $2500. How does this provide significant help to anyone?

[subterranean]

10. And someone in the lowest marginal tax bracket...

would probably not be able to afford $25,000 in medical expenses and premiums, and wouldn't owe much, if any, income tax in the first place.

[Wiz Imp]

12. exactly

[EdmondDantes_]

13. And only if they don't have expensive issues

As noted above a knee replacement is 200k, getting to knock a bit off doesn't make that easily affordable for even a significant chunk of rich people.

[Turbineguy]

4. A new version of the only thing republicans can do.

Cut taxes.

[Lovie777]

6. It's a bad plan........................

it favors the rich and screws the middle class and poor.

[travelingthrulife]

5. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

[Traildogbob]

8. Sure! Let's just "RUN" with that.

Wish I could post the meme of him “Running” from MAGA tourists.

[jonstl08]

9. What are the specifics

Notice how there was no specifics. Currently you can any medical expense over 7.5% of Adjusted gross income would become an itemized deduction. That would include all out of pocket insurance premiums, copays and any other qualified medical expense. If a less wealthy family living in an apartment with a current standard deduction of $29K unless they paid over 30K in itemized medical expenses would probably not be able to itemize. So the deduction in Hawleys plan would not help them at all.

Let see the specifics.

[JustAnotherGen]

11. This is why I'm looking forward

To Governor Elect Sherrill's soft secession plan. If she and the Operating Officer (new position in her cabinet) can find a way to carve as much money back from the Fed for NJ earners . . .

We can implement our own ACA and to hell with the rest of America - to include DC.

I'm sick of the people in my community over paying to DC and we don't get jack shit in return in NJ.

[ibegurpard]

14. 25,000 per person in expenses?

Has he actually seen a medical bill?