Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Obamacare Forces Filler Prices Higher

During a strained and struggling economy, it grieves me to have to raise any prices. In fact, I have offered deep discounts to the best of my ability since the economic collapse in late 2008. But over the past 2 weeks, the U.S. companies that manufacture and supply my fillers have raised their costs to me as a purchasing physician. They have both directly attributed this increase in part to the federally mandated excise tax on medical device manufacturers. This new tax is part of the legislation under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). I pledge to raise my prices only to directly match the percent increase that I must pay to acquire my materials. As always, I stand firmly with integrity to continue purchasing my JUVÉDERM® and RESTYLANE® only directly from Allergan, Inc. (Irvine, CA) and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation (Scottsdale, AZ) who operate under regulation by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). I caution you, as I have in the past, that these higher costs could increase the incentives for other providers to cut corners and import products from Canada or other countries creating a safety risk to you.