The Aesthetic Society and all of organized Plastic Surgery present a united front to fight the unfair Cosmetic Surgery Tax!
The Society leadership strongly disagrees with this discriminatory tax and is very concerned with the role of the surgeon as tax collector. Additionally, we see potentially devastating consequences to patient safety, as some may choose to have surgery abroad, seeing physicians who may not have comparable training certification or surgical site standards up to those of ABMS Board-certified Plastic Surgeons.
The following is the template for a letter that patients can use to express their opinion and dissent toward the proposed cosmetic surgery tax:
You can find your elected representative by clicking here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Dear Senator ______,
HEALTHCARE PLAN IN THE SENATE WILL UNFAIRLY DISCRIMATE AGAINST US!
I am writing you today about an issue that affects everyone who utilizes plastic surgery services for anything from Botox to Tummy Tucks.
The healthcare bill approved by the US Senate this weekend, Page 2045 Sec. 9017, Excise Tax on Elective Cosmetic Medical Procedures included in the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
This dense legalese translates to a tax on all cosmetic procedures as partial payment for the healthcare overhaul our current administration is attempting to implement.
The problem is that we would be paying this tax, the FIRST time this country has levied a tax on patients for medical procedures. This Bill is objectionable in many ways, including:
· This is a discriminatory tax. According to the Aesthetic Society Annual Statistics, 91% of all cosmetic procedures are requested by women
· This will not have considerable consequences on the wealthiest patients but, as usual, affects the middle class. We working women, soccer moms, and scores of others who carefully save and budget to improve our appearance and self esteem will be penalized for doing so.
· Procedures such as breast reduction that have been cited in the literature for improving self esteem and quality of life would be taxed as well.
· Our doctor as tax collector: This provision places physicians in the role of tax collector and holds physicians liable should an individual fail or refuse to pay the tax. That is not the relationship we want with our medical provider!
Please, do not allow this portion of the tax bill to pass!
Sincerely,
______________________
