Good news about the cosmetic tax
I received this via email and want to share it with you:
Subject: Urgent Message from Malcolm Z. Roth, MD
Dear Colleague:
Today we have final confirmation that the cosmetic tax provision will be removed from the Senate health reform bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will offer a “manager’s amendment” to the current bill that removes the cosmetic tax, among other changes (including removal of the public plan option and a “Medicare buy-in” option).
In addition, in unrelated legislation, the House has passed and the Senate will accept a “60 day bridge” on the SGR to avoid the 21% cut going into effect on January 1. ASPS supported this “bridge” so that negotiators could continue working on permanent repeal of the SGR. The House passed a bill to accomplish this in November, and discussions continue on addressing this issue in the Senate over the next 60 days.
We thank you all for your efforts in helping us to fight for you on the cosmetic tax issue. While this is great news, the battle is not over. We still expect the Senate to pass a bill which will then have to be reconciled with the House bill in January. During that process, we must stay vigilant to ensure this tax in not re-inserted into this legislation.
Please continue your efforts on this legislation as we continue our ASPS and ASAPS efforts to ensure that there is no cosmetic tax in the final legislation.
