I quickly read through large parts of the bill. It seems to methey are going to squeeze money out of everyone involved, from consumers to providers. The only entity that gets juiced is government with boatloads of new bureaucracy. the thing that stood out to me was the lack of any numbers attached to either the cost or savings of individual items. They are trying to lessen the consumer and employer value of consumer driven halth plans and HSA, FSA, and HRA accounts. No more reimbursement from FSA or HSA for OTC medications unless your doctor orders them. Insurance companies, drug companies, and device makers will all face new taxes. I don’t like it one bit. It seems very anti-business, anti-innovation.
I work for a medical equipment manufacturer. This bill would levy a new $4 billion per year excise tax on all medical devices. Needless to say, employees from my company will be contacting their Congressional representatives.