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ISSUES > Health Care
November 14, 2003
State-By-State Tax Increase from Medicare Drug Benefit
WebMemo #367
Taxpayers would see a $41 billion tax increase in 2001 dollars if Congress passes the proposed Medicare prescription drug legislation and raises taxes to pay for this massive new program, as detailed in the budget resolution. This tax increase assumes that Congress would raise federal income taxes by enough to pay for the new drug entitlement. (Full state-by-state table.)
According to Heritage's Center for Data Analysis the median amount of new taxes will be:
- $319 for joint files
- $93 for head of household
- $128 for single filers
- $186 for all filers
The most populous states will experience the largest tax increases:
| State |
Tax Increase (in millions) |
| California |
$5,340 |
| New York |
$3,150 |
| Texas |
$2,950 |
| Florida |
$2,070 |
| Pennsylvania |
$1,860 |
| Illinois |
$1,820 |
| New Jersey |
$1,730 |
| Ohio |
$1,520 |
See the full table of state-by-state increases.
Another chart, from the recent Backgrounder, New Medicare Drug Entitlement’s Huge New Tax on Working Americans, by Brian Riedl and Bill Beach, shows that the proposed drug benefit will cost the average household $1,125 each year in new taxes by 2030.

Adding this into Medicare's current projected shortfall, the total becomes:
- $1,168 per household in 2010,
- $2,262 per household in 2020, and
- $3,980 per household in 2030.
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Links
A webcast of the Better Health Care Together forum featuring Stuart Butler, Ph.D.
A webcast by the Kaiser Family Foundation featuring Stuart Butler, Ph.D.
A webcast of the National Federation of Independent Business Health Reform Forum featuring Stuart Butler, Ph.D.
A webcast of the National Federation of Independent Business Health Reform Forum featuring Robert Moffit.

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