Re: Front page article in Times-Union paper dated 9-17-09 "Health Care Plan Taxes Orthopedics Business".
I've read this article five or six times and everytime I get more and more irritated.
Four-plus billion yearly in taxes on one industry segment will certainly buy a lot of Q-Tips and pay the salary of numerous czars.
The USA has had a health care system for years that the world has looked up to and admired. Yes, it has a lot of problems, most of which won't go away with government running the medical industry, but will actually be exacerbated. The fraud now in medicare and medicaid will pale in comparison.
Tens and twenty thousands of orthopedic business employees will be adversely affected by this tax. Let alone the thousands of patients who will pay more for operations and get short changed by lack of research and development in the industry.
Most of all what concerns me is that the government is actually nudging this industry to go overseas with the bulk of their business. Each of these businesses already have some operations overseas. Who can blame them if this happens?
More and more taxes to the government, more waste and inefficiency in return, what a bummer!
