it's also quite expeive. i don't think it wou fall under this notn of a basic package. gwen: jean, ita fromkentucky wants to know why isn't anone discussing tort reorm as a way of reducing health are costs? >> because its on brick too many. t would be hard tbuild. the president h acknowledged that lawsitshave some eect othe cost of health care. obviously, the coservatives and republicans an democrats don't agree on what degree. gwen: we heard dickarmy sayi -- >> they tow all kin of numbers out. you can talk to one sde they give you a buncof statistics. you go to the other sie, you get a whole other set. it's hard to figure t if you're jt talking to both sides. the president haacknowledged that someing along these lines ought toe done, but he ha said it ha to be doe after health care reformis passed. and the primaryreason for that is it is - it's ke abortion. you cannot ut an explosive issue like that it will blowit up for se. gwen: wh knows wat is ppening right now. before we wind up, i nt to get to a couple questios we have on the public optio the so-called publicption

ani think paul raises legit mss concerns about reasonswhy it's more expeive in some stat or for certain grps that are older. but you can adjust for those in setting up the tax exclusion, setting up ts new tax by a justing it for higher cost regis and more expensive grou. >> ll, let me, before we get into at, jonathan gruber, how would it work? explin who wou be taxed, ow much would they be taxe do we have awers to those questions? >>we don'tave precise swers but we can say roughly the idea would b at your employer would get a notfrom the government saying that if or the insurance comny would get a note from the governmt saying thatf the insunce plan costs more than some vel, let's say 20,000 doars, then the difference between the amount and that $20,000 is taxable so if the iurer has a $25,00 plan en they would be tad at some ra, some are talking about a ra above 35% on e difference between 25,000 and 20,000 dollars. this wld really only affect the veryost expensive health pla. this i not going toffect most workers. >> and paulronstin, this question owho would be taxed, we herd in betty