08/01/2025
Tariffs, and so it begins. Two of our three vendors for mastectomy products have issued price increases from 5% to 15%. I suspect the remainder are coming soon. Will we increase our prices to our breast cancer patients? NO. Because our pricing is regulated by insurance companies, those highly profitable, billion dollar companies whose senior managers are definitely rich, profiting off the suffering of their members. Whose reimbursement rates to us, their providers who serve their members, are already so low we can barely keep our doors open. And now, we have to absorb this. Thank you DJT for, and I quote, "Making America great and rich again".
Great for who? Uninsured and under-insured citizens who already can't pay their medical bills? Great for small businesses who are already working on razor thin margins?
Who's getting rich? Business owners and managers of multi-million, billion dollar companies? If I thought the revenue that these tariffs will bring into government coffers would benefit the citizens of this country I could at least understand this. But really, has this administration shown any indication they care about the lives of 80% - 90% of our citizens? Does anyone still believe in the trickle down theory of macroeconomics?
And even if we could raise our prices, we wouldn't. Our breast cancer patients are already facing so many challenges, we couldn't add this to everything else they are facing. It goes against everything we, and so many health and wellness, social services stand for. But at this rate, if companies and social service agencies, hospitals and State Medicaid programs can't pay our bills and keep our doors open, who will care for these individuals?
