Health-care reform puts burden on medical-device firms

what a shame. punishment for supplying a service. just the start of the horror show..........Rmember in november

Ha ha ha... we are going to get you dumb clucks like you have never seen. Just you wait, this is only the beginning.

A 2.3% tax on the entire industry is not going to have a disproportionate effect on Massachusetts. Equipment made in other states and in foreign countries will be taxed the same - it's a level playing field. Hospitals are going to buy the equipment anyway (consumer devices are not taxed), and at worst will delay purchases. If it did discourage them from buying devices, it might likewise discourage unnecessary tests, which are a big factor in increasing health costs.

This is bad. Anyone that doesn't recognize it as that is ignorant. Taxing companies that still manufacture and export from the US in order to pay for this new entitlement program will be hurt. If you think that this won't affect jobs in this environment, you're delusional. Thank you Nikki Tsongas. I look forward to limiting your term.

Let the mess begin and thank you to our goverment that would not listen to the people, they all need to be fired!!!!!!!!!!

This Healthcare Bill is the biggest blantant case of Government not listening to the people. Come Election time, hope all these politicians have their back up jobs ready, because their all going to be ousted.

We just witnessed the biggest heist of all. Our constitution has been violated by our own government

Shame on them.

There is a difference between health care & health insurance . I never hear that discussed.

this shirt pretty much nails it. http://www.tshirttimes.com/product/obamacare-...

Isn't this new tax going to be offset by overall reductions in the cost of health insurance that currently burden employers? Why is it that when operating costs rise (and profit margins shrink), consumers pay the difference, but when operating costs fall (yielding higher profits) the consumers don't beneift?

Why aren't people going after the profit mongering health care industry. Did you know that the outgoing CEO of Cigna, a leading health care firm, received $110 million in retirement benefits? Yeah, I'm sure the industry cannot bear the burden of a modest tax increase.

WereScrewed wrote:

We just witnessed the biggest heist of all. Our constitution has been violated by our own government
Shame on them.

The biggest heist in all of this is the health care industry. Pharamceutical companies raping consumers blind, doctors ordering unnecessary procedures that drive health insurance premiums up for their own hospitals' bottom lines, health insurance providers denying coverage for those who need it most. Yeah, those aren't shameless heists. That's just the American way. Profits over people.

And in what ways has our constitution been violated? Please explain this.

The great thing is, if SCOTUS rules that the health care bill is unconstitutional, there may be precedent to do the same with public education. That would be really cool. Then we could close down all the public schools. All the middle class and lower class families will be so dumb they won't even know they need health care. See how many people vote for republicans when that happens. lol

WereScrewed wrote:

We just witnessed the biggest heist of all. Our constitution has been violated by our own government
Shame on them.

And the Patriot Act wasn't a violation? HAHAHAHAHAHA! What a dope!

Who What When Where Why wrote:

This Healthcare Bill is the biggest blantant case of Government not listening to the people. Come Election time, hope all these politicians have their back up jobs ready, because their all going to be ousted.

You must have been sleeping through the Iraq debacle.

the Decider wrote:

Isn't this new tax going to be offset by overall reductions in the cost of health insurance that currently burden employers? Why is it that when operating costs rise (and profit margins shrink), consumers pay the difference, but when operating costs fall (yielding higher profits) the consumers don't beneift?
Why aren't people going after the profit mongering health care industry. Did you know that the outgoing CEO of Cigna, a leading health care firm, received $110 million in retirement benefits? Yeah, I'm sure the industry cannot bear the burden of a modest tax increase.

Well said!

Big Health profits are second, I believe, only to Big Oil over the past several years.

Hysteria wrote:

A 2.3% tax on the entire industry is not going to have a disproportionate effect on Massachusetts. Equipment made in other states and in foreign countries will be taxed the same - it's a level playing field. Hospitals are going to buy the equipment anyway (consumer devices are not taxed), and at worst will delay purchases. If it did discourage them from buying devices, it might likewise discourage unnecessary tests, which are a big factor in increasing health costs.

It is when Mass is the 2nd largest place where devices are made. So while it may hurt all companies the same, it hurts Mass more because a larger amount of companies are here.
The hospitals will pay more for the device, which means they'll charge more for using the device, which means insurance will charge more for the test, which means you'll pay more for insurance.

Whaaaaat wrote:

<quoted text>
Well said!
Big Health profits are second, I believe, only to Big Oil over the past several years.

2%, that's the profit margin for health insurance companies. In other sectors it's much higher, say 15%.
If anything this bill isn't going to curb that. The health insurance companies just got 35 million more customers.

the Decider wrote:

Isn't this new tax going to be offset by overall reductions in the cost of health insurance that currently burden employers? Why is it that when operating costs rise (and profit margins shrink), consumers pay the difference, but when operating costs fall (yielding higher profits) the consumers don't beneift?
Why aren't people going after the profit mongering health care industry. Did you know that the outgoing CEO of Cigna, a leading health care firm, received $110 million in retirement benefits? Yeah, I'm sure the industry cannot bear the burden of a modest tax increase.

Why don;t we tax the 40% of workers that pay no tax. They're the ones this will benefit the most. We need more people pulling the cart, not getting on it.

This is hilarious! I feel real sorry for this company, given what they pay their CEO in salary and bonuses.

Give me a break, they're hurting for money, then cut the CEO's huge salary and bonuses!

Frank wrote:

<quoted text>
2%, that's the profit margin for health insurance companies. In other sectors it's much higher, say 15%.
If anything this bill isn't going to curb that. The health insurance companies just got 35 million more customers.

I'm sure the small profit margins have nothing to do with bloated salary and compensation packages right?

Take a look at this. Highlights earnings for top execs in health care industry.

http://sickforprofit.com/ceos/

Every medical company taxed equally. Sounds like a level playing field to me.