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Political consultant Dick Morris has been credited with turning around Bill Clinton's campaign, leading to his second term as President. In ...
Read more about Dick Morris.
Political consultant Dick Morris has been credited with turning around Bill Clinton's campaign, leading to his second term as President. In ...
Read more about Dick Morris.
Obama Taxes Pacemakers, Heart Valves
Dick Morris
The more fiscal details of the health care bills emerge, the more
appalling they seem. The Senate Finance Committee bill includes a
broad provision taxing all manner of medical devices. This tax
includes such frivolous luxuries as pacemakers, stents, artificial
heart valves, defibrillators, automated wheelchairs, mechanized
artificial limbs, replacement hips and knees, surgical gurneys,
laparoscopic equipment and the like.
President Obama is planning to reduce the cost of medical care by taxing it!
The most recent Gallup Poll reflected that 49 percent of respondents said they believed that the Obamacare plan will increase their health care costs. Only about 20 percent said it would lower them. It is taxes like these that substantiate this kind of concern.
The origins of this new medical device tax are troubling, as well.
The medical device industry had its day at the White House, as did the insurance industry, the drug makers, the nurses and the doctors. In turn, each group heard the White House request that they come up with voluntary cuts in their health care costs and support Obama's proposed changes in return for assurances that Congress would not impose deeper cuts (or, in the case of the doctors, that it would actually rescind cuts already scheduled under current statutes).
But, unlike all these other groups, the medical device industry refused the deal. This posture enraged the tyrants in the White House, who vowed to punish the industry with cuts imposed by Congress. The result was a decision by the revenue-hungry Senate Finance Committee to extract billions in funds from the industry.
The legislation does not work like a sales or excise tax. Rather, it follows the model of the punitive tobacco settlement imposed on cigarette companies in the '90s. It assesses an industry-wide payment that firms must make in proportion to their market share. It bars them from passing along the cost of the assessment by charging more for certain basic products, but allows them to raise the price of others to raise the funds for the fee.
So, the result will be that virtually every piece of advanced surgical equipment will be subject to a price increase to meet the levy from Washington. No matter that these devices often make the difference between life and death and that, in effect, taxing them raises the cost of vital treatments. The vengeful White House will have its pound of flesh from the medical device industry for daring to be independent and refusing to knuckle down to administration pressure.
This tax, imposed in a spirit of haughty arrogance, falls on totally inappropriate objects. Valves, prosthetic limbs, pacemakers, hearing aids and such are essential therapies that make life longer, better and less painful. To tax them makes no sense -- except in the world of sharp elbows and interest group politics that grips this take-no-prisoners and show-no-mercy White House.
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To find out more about Dick Morris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. Distributed By Creators.Com
Copyright 2009 Dick Morris And Eileen Mcgann
This news arrived on: 10/24/2009
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Posted Comments:
10-27-2009 08:10
Catharyne Stauffer wrote:
Hiya old cowboy :) Well to the best of my personal knowledge we still provide excellent care . Some provinces are suffering like Ontario because of their Liberal Premier that manged to siphon 1 billion dollars of Medical funds under this E health proposal and now are trying to make huge cuts to Ontario Health care to make up the costs . Needless to say he is in some serious hot water . The NDP Health critic just recently blasted him for trying to provide shelter to all the players in this latest fiasco . I guess they were paying some of their liberal buddies that were spearheading this E health program 100 dollars an hour to send emailed thank you notes etc .
Recently Ed Stelmach our conservative Premier here in Alberta is proposing some health care cost cuts that has some people extremely riled . This is after a huge spending spree they did while the price of Oil was very high .
I am a conservative but I am less than pleased with many of Ed Stelmach's decisions and his spending policies .
The Wildrose Alliance Party ( conservatives) just won a a stronghold usually held by the Conservative party of Canada in the Glenmore riding of Calgary . This happened as a direct result of Ed Stelmach's less than stellar performance as our provincial Premier .
Recently Ed Stelmach our conservative Premier here in Alberta is proposing some health care cost cuts that has some people extremely riled . This is after a huge spending spree they did while the price of Oil was very high .
I am a conservative but I am less than pleased with many of Ed Stelmach's decisions and his spending policies .
The Wildrose Alliance Party ( conservatives) just won a a stronghold usually held by the Conservative party of Canada in the Glenmore riding of Calgary . This happened as a direct result of Ed Stelmach's less than stellar performance as our provincial Premier .
10-26-2009 23:36
Kathie wrote:
Morris is a real "Richard Cranium".
10-26-2009 22:52
JCE wrote:
Obviously you haven't read any of the 100s of republican amendments, or you would know it isn't all Obamas baby. Obama wants reform, not the stuff that the right is telling lies about, or trying to get for the insurance companies. And succeeding in. Everybody is meeting. Everybody is trying to get their stuff into it, and tell what deal they will make. Obama may know what he is doing, working with the republicans, but they have made it clear they will stab him in the back. But one must negotiate with the enemy, at least in order to know what they want, and are doing. Obama will not get all he wants, and must negotiate. But no one knows what the final bill will look like, cause the half a dozen bills being meshed together have so many opposing ideas, and will never survive to a single bill. Until one sees the single bill, to say for sure what is in it is pure idiocy. Morris lied about the death panels. But he left out the truth. The only death panels are the current ones that the insurance companies have, and that Obama wants to shut down, and the right wants to keep. Some of you who are telling the truth about Morris, are being way too kind. Paid hack is putting it mildly.
10-26-2009 22:14
old cowboy wrote:
Catharyne
I am sure many more companies will move to your lovely country. In fact back in the 70's I moved to Vancouver, B.C. to teach and was there for 5 years. With the Provincial Exams you had "No Child Left Behind" back then but they at least used it for remediation not just punishing schools and, unless a lot has changed, contrary to the propaganda we get down here you have a great health care system. If I remember correctly the total for the birth of my daughter was under $100 and she had excellent care.
10-26-2009 21:50
Catharyne Stauffer wrote:
Wow Old cowboy, you mean that what Dick Morris said isn't true ? I was kinda enjoying my vision of many of these companies crossing the Border to Canada and enjoying our more tax friendly environment not to mention they wouldn't have to worry about research and development grants being whisked away like a carrot on a string .
Years ago I met some very nice people in that business and always wished they would move their operation here :) But if what Dick is saying is not true I feel just a little dashed :P
Years ago I met some very nice people in that business and always wished they would move their operation here :) But if what Dick is saying is not true I feel just a little dashed :P
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