Medical imaging, radiation therapy, and other medical device manufacturers have made the second semimonthly payment of approximately $97 million to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the medical device excise tax.
According to the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA), the payment brings the value of medical device excise tax payments that companies have made to the IRS to approximately $200 million.
Under the 2.3% tax, device manufacturers are required to pay an estimated average of $194 million per month in medical device tax payments, with a payment of approximately $97 million due semimonthly.
"Every dollar spent paying for this medical device excise tax threatens medical innovation and American jobs," said Gail Rodriguez, MITA's executive director, in a prepared statement.
Efforts to repeal the tax escalated on February 7 when Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Medical Device Access and Innovation Protection Act into the Senate. The bill was filed one day after Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced the Protect Medical Innovation Act into the House to eliminate the levy.
