Health Care Reform Bill

The senate is moving to debate their latest version of the health care reform bill. In this version a cosmetic surgery tax has been added to help pay for the legislation. This legislation will impose a 5% tax of cosmetic surgery procedures to be paid by the patient. Some important considerations are as follows.

Elective surgery taxes discriminate against women given that 86 percent of cosmetic surgery patients are female. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, cosmetic surgery is no longer an exclusive luxury afforded by the very wealthy. In fact, 86% of cosmetic surgery patients are working women. ASPS data show that for individuals planning to have cosmetic surgery within the next two years, 60% of respondents reported a household income of $30,000-$90,000 a year. Most importantly, 40% of the 60% reported income of $30,000-$60,000. Only 10% of respondents reported household income over $90,000. This data clearly refutes the suggestion that elective surgery taxes are “luxury" or “sin" taxes affecting a privileged few.

These taxes are arbitrary and difficult to administer. As evidenced with the recent experience in New Jersey, the only state to impose a cosmetic tax, the line between “cosmetic" and “reconstructive" surgery is not always clear and leaves the determination of medical necessity up to state tax auditors—a completely inappropriate proposition. This can be a potential auditing nightmare; implementation of this subjectively imposed tax will require an inordinate amount of time to interpret and administer with questionable return. 

Take action today and tell your Senators that taxing medical procedures is an inappropriate tool to fix broken finances. I urge you to contact your elected officials and voice your opposition to this matter. We all agree that health care reform is necessary, but lets not pay for it by taxing medical procedures. 

Yes, this part of the Senate bill really stinks.  It's amazing to me that our governing bodies always find a way to discriminate unequally between the sexes.  First with the mamograms, and then the pap smears and now this.   Isn't it odd that no one ever proposes cutting back on PSA testing or taxing Viagra? 

Yes, the most messed up I had heard was at one time when insurances were covering viagra and not birth control pills and our representitives thought that was fine!
Seems a double standard to me!

II posted this on my FB page last night....it re0iterates a lot of what Dr. K said.  Its easy to let your rep know your feelings on this...just type in your zip code on the website below.

"COSMETIC" TAX ADDED TO SENATE HEALTH REFORM BILL: In a desperate effort to fund the $3 trillion health reform legislation, lawmakers slipped in a 5% tax on cosmetic procedures at the 11th hour. Such a tax exists in New Jersey, where the lawmaker who proposed it has since asked forit's repeal. Here are the problems with ...that plan:

1. Who decides whether the procedure is cosmetic or not ? Your friendly
state tax auditors would ultimately make the decision, which is something they're not qualified to do. We already know what insurance thinks about post WLS PS.  WLS patients would probably be affected by this the most as the procedures are more extensive.

2. The legislation makes the assumption that folks getting face lifts or tummy tucks are wealthy. Not true, because data from the ASPS in 2005 show that of those considering cosmetic surgery, 60% reported incomes of under $90 thousand.

3. An elective surgery tax discriminates against women, given that 86 percent
of cosmetic surgery patients are female.

If you think the "Nose Job Tax" stinks, give your rep in the Senate a "whiff" of what you think. It's really easy, just visit http://www.congress.org/Read More

I swear I have a panic attack everytime I think of this thing passing!

UGH! What a way to ruin something potentially helpful. I'll email my senators and representatives.

Dr. k,

Does this mean your favorite patient will get a discount to make up for the price increase?

See you in 2 weeks for ROUND 2.