Here’s Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggestion: Plastic Surgeons and the People Who Love Them!
The connection? No idea!
The Senate health bill would impose a 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic procedures to help defray the cost of health care reform. Proponents claim it would raise an estimated $5 billion over 10 years toward the $849 billion pricetag of current legislation.
But how did the fans and practitioners of plastic surgery come to bear the burden of bankrolling health insurance reform? The only thing we could figure out is that it presumes that people getting plastic surgery are wealthy and can afford to shell out a little more. Whatever the case, we can’t help but see this is as rather creative taxing.
Granted, the market for cosmetic surgeries is sailing through the bad economy. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that 12 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2008, up 3 percent from 2007.
On the other hand, the measure could be less lucrative than proponents hope. In 2004, the state of New Jersey passed a 6 percent tax on plastic surgery that was expected to raise $24 million a year. But, in 2005, it only brought in about $7.5 million.
Of course, the so-called “Botox ” provision isn’t the only inventive one in the Senate bill, but it’s certainly the most joke-ready. On second thought, maybe this is simply Washington’s way of finally getting back at the old “Hollywood for ugly people ” barb.