Bipartisan legislation to repeal the 2.3% medical device excise tax has been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Protect Medical Innovation Act (HR 160) is sponsored by Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Ron Kind (D-WI) and was introduced with 254 original co-sponsors. Paulsen and Kind introduced a similar bill to repeal the tax in 2013. Two years ago, 79 U.S. senators voted to repeal the tax as part of a budget resolution.
The proposal has already received support from the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA), the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA).
According to the groups, the device tax has resulted in the loss or deferral of more than 33,000 industry jobs.
In a prepared statement, Dr. Gregory Sorensen, CEO and president of Siemens Healthcare's North America division, said the excise tax "has had a profoundly adverse effect not only on the medical device manufacturing community, but also on patient care since its 2013 inception as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This tax has stifled medical equipment design and innovation, leading to a decrease in hundreds of valuable research-and-development jobs at Siemens Healthcare alone."
