I have nothing against a national health care bill, in fact, I think we definitely need one. This particular health care bill happens to be 2,562 pages long and admittedly, I haven’t read the whole thing. But I did see the part where there would be a 10% “vanity tax” imposed on consumers who use indoor tanning services beginning in July. This is expected to raise $2.7 billion by 2019 while discouraging a practice that can cause skin cancer.
Okay, I get it. One million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. One thousand people in the US die each year from it. But compare that to the 1.25 million people who have heart attacks, and the 425,000 people who die from them. Or to the 5.5 million Americans who have cirrhosis of the liver, 40% of whom have it because of alcohol abuse. Or to the 219,000 new cases of lung cancer, and the 159,000 deaths each year, many of which were brought on by smoking. So where’s the new tax on artery-hardening fast food or liver-demolishing liquor or lung-quashing cigarettes?
There are more than 50,000 tanning salons in the United States, the majority of which are not chains, but independently owned. They’re small business owners who may on the one hand benefit from the new health care reform legislation, but are shouldering an unfair burden of the cost through the nature of their business. Most will have no choice but to pass along that increase to their customers, which could hurt their businesses. Why isn’t there a tax on memberships to outdoor swimming pools or golf courses or other places that may expose you to the sun?
Interestingly enough, the health care bill originally included a 5% “vanity tax” on cosmetic surgeries and procedures. Some were calling it the “bo-tax” and it was expected to raise 5 billion dollars in the next 10 years. Apparently, the lobby for cosmetic surgeons is more organized and powerful than the lobby for tanning salons, because the “bo-tax” was taken out of the health care plan before the vote.
I still have hundreds of pages to read, so I may be back to discuss other issues regarding the new health care plan. On this particular issue though, forget the UV rays; tanning salon owners and their customers are getting burned by Congress!
