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Post by texaswoodie on Feb 26, 2013 9:40:59 GMT -5
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 10:28:46 GMT -5
You are kidding? Lets assume that this happens to every single thing Vets use (note that only medical devices used on HUMANS are affected- and that's medical DEVICES- heart pumps, bypass shunts, urinary shunts)... what % of your vet bill in a SURGERY might that affect? Those 'medical devices' cost a few dollars to begin with.
So lets say it's a $7 scalpel.. 3% of that scalpel is $.21. Twenty one CENTS. Three % of $100 worth of medical devices is $3. This has no effect on the true cost of the surgery, the Vet's labor and overhead.
If your Vet actually raises the total bill by 3%, he's ripping you off and jumping on the bandwagon excuse to raise his rates. And if he actually does that, he's charging you $30 more for every $1000 worth of his bill, of which, at best, his 3% cost increase would be $3.
This is Obamacare's fault or the Vet's fault? What's your average vet bill? What's your absolute highest vet bill? How many devices did they use on your pet when they charged it to you in total cost? What's 3% of that?
If this raises your vet bill by more than a couple of dollars, it shows you have a crooked vet.
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Post by texaswoodie on Feb 26, 2013 11:20:27 GMT -5
BS as usual. Vet bills WILL go up because of Obamacare. Not because the vet wants it to. Just like all of our medical bills. End of story.
Curt
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 11:47:11 GMT -5
HOW will it go up, Curt? Going up $.57 per $500 bill (NOT charging 3% on Vet labor) is going to stop people from taking their pet to the vet?
I came up with the above ballpark by figuring it this way:
Vet Labor averages 20x the cost of the materials used in the visit. If total bill = $500, then materials used during visit = $25. Assuming all materials used has 2.3% medical device excise tax (which would not cover paper cups, bandages, vet related items including pet vaccines anyway). $25 x 2.3% = $.57
Therefore, the tax will impact a sample $500 vet bill by an average of $.57. That's Fifty Seven CENTS.
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 11:58:23 GMT -5
You know, there are adopt a child programs (remember Sally Struthers?) for starving children in other nations... and those amount to about $2 a DAY. This device tax helps insure sick US children for medical care they otherwise would not have.
Would I begrudge $.57 a DAY to help an American child? No I would not.
Would someone who is willing to spend $500 on a vet bill for their dog begrudge one $.57 charge to help pay medical bills for an American CHILD? I say no.
Again, if your Vet charges 3% for the total bill, that Vet is a greedy pig, the device tax is ONLY on devices, and the vast majority of Vet visits are for pet shots (excluded) and diagnostic visits that do not involve many dollars of throw away supplies.
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Post by parfive on Feb 26, 2013 12:15:50 GMT -5
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Post by mohs on Feb 26, 2013 12:47:27 GMT -5
obama dancing through our health care crisis
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on Feb 26, 2013 13:16:02 GMT -5
Seriously dude. I read about half the article and heard the interview with the reporter on NPR. I damn near choked at how absurd this crap is!
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Post by texaswoodie on Feb 26, 2013 13:50:57 GMT -5
The 3% is on medical device cost. Say an x-ray machine cost $500,000 (I don't have any idea what they cost) That means the vet will have to pay an extra $15,000 for an x-ray machine. So the vet just shrugs his shoulders and takes the hit? I don't think so.
Curt
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 14:20:16 GMT -5
I read that when it came out, and that is soooo true it's sickening. That's WHY the US gov't needs to provide Universal, because they TELL the doctors what they can charge, instead of today's crap of charging whatever they feel like, even admitting there's no rhyme or reason to their charges. There is NO REASON for some medical costs to be what they are today.
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 14:27:14 GMT -5
The 3% is on medical device cost. Say an x-ray machine cost $500,000 (I don't have any idea what they cost) That means the vet will have to pay an extra $15,000 for an x-ray machine. So the vet just shrugs his shoulders and takes the hit? I don't think so. Curt Most vets already have an Xray machine, but if cost $1 million dollars, how many x-rays can he do with that machine? That 2.3% tax on 1 million dollars is $23,000. So assuming that his COST for that X-ray machine is amortized to cost $1000 per pet (it does NOT cost that much, but lets pretend it DOES), that's $23 more for that $1000. Lets say it COSTS him $100 per X-ray, that's $2.30 per Xray cost. We both know no Xray COSTS the vet that or he'd have to charge you $1000 for that Xray. If you are prepared to pay $100 for your dog's Xray, the COST is closer to $10 (because the other $90 is the Vet's income, assistant, billing system, office rent, overhead, etc). I consider this a 10x markup because it's an equipment based charge, and not a lot of direct Vet time (which would be closer to 20x markup). At $10 COST, the tax is 23 CENTS. Will that $.23 CENTS stop people from going to the vet for an Xray? Again, that's if your Vet doesn't try to pull a charge of 2.3% tacked on to the WHOLE BILL and try to tell you it's for Obamacare. I'm sure many Vets would do just that, but the honest ones wouldn't.
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Post by texaswoodie on Feb 26, 2013 15:03:01 GMT -5
I don't know anything about your business Helen but say one of your machines calls it quits. You have to buy another one. Because some idiot in DC put a surcharge of 15-23,000 on your machine, I feel sure that you wouldn't pass that cost on to your customers.
Curt
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 19:29:20 GMT -5
I would pass it on Curt, that's business. However, I'd pass it on amortized the same way I'd amortize the equipment itself. 2.3%.
Which if I'd charge $10 for equipment use, that's $.23 ... 23 pennies per $10, $2.30 per $100, etc.
You already know no one charges $500,000 for an Xray to get that $11,500 charge for the 2.3% tax slapped on one customer. Spread out over all customers, 2.3% to their actual equipment and supply costs is not a lot of $$.
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Post by texaswoodie on Feb 26, 2013 20:08:38 GMT -5
The whole point is that I am already paying more for vet bills for my dog than I did Dr. charges for my first born. And now because of Obamacare, I'm going to pay more.
Curt
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 26, 2013 20:20:42 GMT -5
A buddy of mine sent me a note that say's Cabellas, the big sporting goods outfit, is one of the few big mail order companies that is itemizing the new tax on it's receipts. Only thing is, I can't figure out what Cabellas sells that would be medical equipment. I guess maybe the tax is tacked onto field medical kits/first aid kits but I don't know. I'd be curious to find out....Mel
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Post by helens on Feb 26, 2013 21:37:11 GMT -5
www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/04/why-was-a-2-3-medical-excise-tax-showing-up-on-receipts-from-sporting-goods-giant-cabelas/#Why Was a 2.3% ‘Medical Excise Tax’ Showing Up on Receipts from Sporting Goods Giant Cabela’s?
January 1, 2013 brought a host of new taxes, fees, and charges to the American people. Some of them were anticipated. Others, like the Medical Device Excise Tax (MDET), were not — at least not in this way.
How so? Well, the MDET has started showing up on the receipts for purchases made at sporting goods giant Cabela’s. This receipt from one such store in Texas is making the rounds on the web. It shows an additional tax has been added to the purchase, after the local sales tax of nearly 10% was charged.
A series of phone calls to both the corporate offices of Cabela’s as well as three Texas outlets where the taxes have been showing up yielded what appears to be a satisfactory explanation and resolution.
Customer service reps for Cabela’s stated the added tax was “a computer glitch that has been fixed.” In one case, a representative offered to take my receipt information over the phone and expedite a refund to my credit card. Cash purchases that were hit with the extra 2.3% tax must return to the store for a cash refund. Reason? FREE MONEY!!!
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Post by parfive on Feb 26, 2013 22:42:02 GMT -5
I love it when teabags on Medicare get uppity. ;D
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Post by mohs on Feb 27, 2013 0:26:26 GMT -5
tea & grumpets
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 9:37:36 GMT -5
When I was in China a friend had a tumor removed from his brain. A specialist was flown in from Beijing to do the surgery. His total cost was just a hair under $5000.00. That is not a decimal point error. Five thousand dollars. And guess what, He is still living.
Health care was insane before Obama was out of high school and is just another form of greed taking precedent over logic.
NOBODY is required to have a pet. How can anyone complain about the cost of a luxury (non sensual item)? That is like a man filling up a Hummer with gasoline and complaining about the price of gasoline. Does not compute. Jim
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on Feb 27, 2013 10:10:12 GMT -5
I don't know anything about your business Helen but say one of your machines calls it quits. You have to buy another one. Because some idiot in DC put a surcharge of 15-23,000 on your machine, I feel sure that you wouldn't pass that cost on to your customers. Curt If a large medical instrument goes down (x-ray, CT, MRI, etc) the hospital rarely says "OK, time to buy a new one!" That's like buying a new car every time something goes wrong with the one you have! Most of the time these instruments are under service contract for a good number of years. So if their state of the art $2.5 million dollar PET scan decides to take an electronic vacation 3 years after they bought it they can call GE tech support and say "Fix it!" And they don't have to pay a dime.
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