Dr. Mercola on his excellent website just highlighted another way in which good health will cost more, not less under the health care reform coming. He notes that this act will change what you can use an HSA or Flex account for. Up to now if I prescribed a supplement for someone with a medical problem they could use their tax-protected money in an HSA to purchase the supplement. The new legislation will limit the HSA funds to be used only for "prescribed drugs or insulin". If this means that prescribed supplements which are not drugs are no longer eligible for HSA money, then the cost of good health just went up and you will all be under subtle pressure to buy more drugs than supplements. When I practiced in Ontario most people would choose a drug paid for by their drug plan rather than buy a supplement they had to pay for.
This article also gives the cost estimates of what health care will cost in the country over the next 10 years - a staggering figure that will result in tax hikes in coming years.
What is not mentioned is how much state income taxes will rise to pay for increasing state-funded Medicaid fees to the same level as Medicare fees which is a requirement of the new legislation. Try and get any elected official or person running in the MidTerms to discuss this issue and see what happens.
Click here to read this chilling article by Dr. Mercola.
drBob
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