Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obamacare Sticker Shock: Taxing Over 15,000 Medicines
Human Events ^ | Thursday, October 14, 2010 | Connie Hair

Posted on 10/14/2010 6:42:43 AM PDT by kristinn

Nancy Pelosi warned us we’d have to pass Obamacare to find out what’s in it. And what we’re finding we don’t like at all.

Higher insurance premiums are hitting families hard. Medicare Advantage has been decimated. Millions will be forced into government-run Medicaid where long lines and rationing await.

If we like our insurance -- too bad.

Beginning January 1, 2011, more than 15,000 over-the-counter (OTC) health care items will require a prescription (and that means a doctor’s visit) for tax-free reimbursement.

Under Obamacare, OTC drugs cannot be reimbursed tax-free from Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) without a government bureaucrat-required permission slip.

(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 20110101; drugs; fsa; healthsavingsaccount; hsa; medicareadvantage; medicine; obamacare; otcdrugs; overthecounterdrugs; prescriptiondrugs; prescriptions; taxation; taxes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-47 next last
To: kevao

My deepest apologies. This comment was for Dem Guard and not for you. Sorry FRiend!


21 posted on 10/14/2010 7:31:33 AM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: All

Overwhelming the system is the plan. Docs treating so many people for so many things will be very very busy.


22 posted on 10/14/2010 7:37:17 AM PDT by sheikdetailfeather (Who needs an enemy when we have Barack Obama?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: kristinn

When “O” supporters are taxed to the point of castration, maybe then they will see how ruinous this plan is.


23 posted on 10/14/2010 7:43:06 AM PDT by SMARTY ("..discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Daisyjane69

USE THE AMMO the enemy gives you! Print the first article out for those seniors that are not online, email the list, print it, hand it out. Tell folks to go read for themselves. I do, then I tell them that my commie rep Steve Cohen gifted them with the $569 Billion tax hike, and the $8.15 Trillion Medicare gut.

How ObamaCare Guts Medicare
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703649004575437311393854940.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion

Health law’s heavy impact by Paul Guppy (Taxes)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/mar/28/health-laws-heavy-impact/

Monthly premiums to rise for 7 of top 10 Medicare prescription plans in 2011
http://www.startribune.com/business/103642009.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiacyKUnciatkEP7DhUr

Social Security: No 2011 increase expected (COLA)
http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/05/news/economy/Social_Security_cost_of_living_adjustment/index.htm

No Social Security COLA Expected For 2011 News Expected To Be Bad For Democrats
http://www.kptv.com/politics/25344443/detail.html

They forgot to add this to the “Rest of the Story”

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/22/chain-email/chain-e-mail-says-congress-raised-own-salaries-whi/

Shall we wait to see how the media and the establishment Pubbies handle this one?

Harvard Pilgrim cancels Medicare Advantage plan
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2010/09/28/harvard_pilgrim_

Seniors’ coverage options dwindle as Medicare Advantage programs close shop
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-advantage_22bus.ART.State.Edition1.3c912a9.html

Survey in New England Journal of Medicine 46% of US Doctors Will Quit Obamacare Passes http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2798380/shocking_survey_in_new_england_journal.html?cat=75

ObamaCare has just made me Sicker!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/bamcare_has_just_made_me_icker_c1dBRZ6M3yuH27rAVnLsvN

In the notice, EmblemHealth told Gowland, who is healthy, “The proposed rate increase includes two components: a basic increase on your type plan and an increase due to the cost of enhanced benefits required by the new federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”

Mayo clinic stops taking Medicare patients
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=517004

Principal To Cut Jobs, End Med Insurance Business
http://www.kcci.com/money/25224059/detail.html

Obama: We knew health costs would go up
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/118079-obama-we-knew-health-costs-would-go-up

President Barack Obama insisted he can overhaul the U.S. healthcare system without raising taxes for anyone but the wealthiest Americans

The New Federal Wedding Tax: How Obamacare Would Dramatically Penalize Marriage
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/01/The-New-Federal-Wedding-Tax-How-Obamacare-Would-Dramatically-Penalize-Marriage

............................................................

1099: The Trojan Horse within Obamacare
http://palmettoinsider.com/2010/09/21/1099-the-trojan-horse-within-obamacare/

Repeal Obamacare: Small-Business Killer
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38496

Senate Expands IRS Form 1099 Reporting Requirement to Include All Rental Property Owner
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/75911

Paperwork nightmare: New 1099 mandate must be repealed
http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/guest/article_61e61666-bbc1-11df-b2c3-001cc4c002e0.html

Health care law*s massive, hidden tax change( 1099*s)
http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/05/smallbusiness/1099_health_care_tax_change/index.htm

Lost in Taxation, The IRS*s vast new ObamaCare powers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704518904575365223062942574.html?mod=rss_opinion_main


24 posted on 10/14/2010 7:44:28 AM PDT by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: goodwithagun

I suspected that was the case. No problem.

So, are you going to feel as ridiculous as I am when you ask your physician for a prescription for Ibuprofen or Nyquil?


25 posted on 10/14/2010 7:46:04 AM PDT by kevao
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: goodwithagun

Don’t forget that when the full effects of commiecare sets in there are taxes on the special needs children and there are taxes on NAME brand RX’s, 2.9% tax if they need a new wheel chair or braces (legs or back, not teeth).


26 posted on 10/14/2010 7:51:03 AM PDT by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Dem Guard
Good! My insurance never paid for over the counter meds for crying out loud! Enough of this cr*p!

Well, actually it probably did at one time. Consider antacids: Zantac, Tagamet, Prilosec ... once prescription drugs used to treat GERD, etc., they moved into the OTC market but the GERD didn't go away. No longer did your prescription coverage pay for these necessary drugs but at least you could use tax free money through your H/FSA. Now that is coming to an end unless you get your doc to write a script, documenting the necessity. That's the real deal: you can't be trusted.

The next step will be to find in the bill where docs are controlled on the number of scripts they write per patient.

27 posted on 10/14/2010 7:55:22 AM PDT by NonValueAdded ("It's amazing, A man who has such large ears could be so tone deaf" Rush Limbaugh 9/8/10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: republicangel
Your medical deductions must reach 7.5% of your AGI.

I think that is going up as well. 10? All this nickel and dime-ing was to come up with the illusion that the bill paid for itself; it was all for the benefit of the CBO.

28 posted on 10/14/2010 7:58:40 AM PDT by NonValueAdded ("It's amazing, A man who has such large ears could be so tone deaf" Rush Limbaugh 9/8/10)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: GailA

I confess to not keeping up with the healthcare fiasco. I have not heard anything about special needs children being taxed, would you elaborate a bit please?


29 posted on 10/14/2010 8:00:52 AM PDT by sfimom (my shift key has taken a vacation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: kevao

Exactly. The problem is, will I be able to see my physician?


30 posted on 10/14/2010 8:05:45 AM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: goodwithagun
I understand why people would be upset about this change as it relates to HSAs and FSAs, but a few years ago when I was enrolled in one of these plans (I'm not eligible for it now) the first thing I noticed was the plan as constituted was absolutely open to fraudulent activity with no oversight.

For example . . . Nothing would have prevented me from using FSA money to buy dozens of bottles of Tylenol for some medical malady that I was allegedly suffering at the time -- then selling them to family members and friends for cash.

31 posted on 10/14/2010 8:14:41 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: kevao; goodwithagun
So, are you going to feel as ridiculous as I am when you ask your physician for a prescription for Ibuprofen or Nyquil?

Oddly enough, there are some astute financial advisors who would tell you that it's actually a good idea to do this under some circumstances.

If you have high recurring medical costs and consistently approach or exceed the IRS threshold for deducting medical expenses on your tax return (I believe the threshold is now 7.5%), then there's nothing wrong with asking a physician to "prescription" for other health-related items that don't legally require a prescription for purchase (Tylenol or anti-dandruff shampoo are two that immediately come to mind). Having the prescription for THESE items allows you to add THEIR cost to your itemized medical expenses on your tax return!

32 posted on 10/14/2010 8:20:09 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: kristinn
Obama the Punisher.

Because Americans deserve to suffer.

33 posted on 10/14/2010 8:23:44 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("The only stable state is one in which all men are equal before the law." -- Aristotle)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Alberta's Child

We are quite fortunate to not be in that situation. Our doc is pretty conservative, so if/when we have an appointment he might just write out scripts for these basics anyway. It just sucks that this is happening.


34 posted on 10/14/2010 8:29:46 AM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Obama the punisher and all the demonrats that voted for this crap without reading any of it.
They are going to regulate 15,000 over the counter meds? What the hell for other than for control. The IRS is to be the obamacare enforcement agency. Once the IRS gets it’s claws into the medical industry, it will be hell to get them out. And the detailed list of OTC meds is to be published December 15.

These people are really evil.


35 posted on 10/14/2010 8:43:26 AM PDT by Texas resident (Outlaw fisherman)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: kevao

Why not, they are drugs aren’t they?


36 posted on 10/14/2010 9:23:24 AM PDT by Dem Guard (Obama's 57 States = The Organization of The Islamic Conference (OIC).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: kevao

I was told, yes
any medicine OTC or not
even medical supplies are tax deductible


37 posted on 10/14/2010 9:25:43 AM PDT by ncpatriot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: republicangel

Yes I do my own taxes with turbo-tax, and I have had significant medical expenses in the past. Unfortuately, I wasn’t able to anticipate these to set up an HSA beforehand. I keep track of all medical expenses whether prescription or not and I deduct them on my taxes, even
Nic gum when I was using it.


38 posted on 10/14/2010 9:33:05 AM PDT by Dem Guard (Obama's 57 States = The Organization of The Islamic Conference (OIC).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: kristinn

My wife just got a packet (AARP MedicareRX Plan) containing new drug prices. Tier One drugs go up from $4 to $8, Tier Two go up 20% and Tier Three 10%. I imagine Wal-Mart and all the other “$4 Prescription” folks will adjust their prices accordingly.

I didn’t realize many OTC drugs would go Prescription Only - gotta check them out.


39 posted on 10/14/2010 9:35:53 AM PDT by Oatka ("A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." –Bertrand de Jouvenel)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jet Jaguar; NorwegianViking; ExTexasRedhead; HollyB; FromLori; EricTheRed_VocalMinority; ...

The list, ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/


40 posted on 10/14/2010 10:10:07 AM PDT by Nachum (The complete Obama list at www.nachumlist.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-47 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson