Wednesday, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly announced his continued support for bipartisan legislation that would repeal the medical device tax. Donnelly is cosponsoring the Medical Device Access and Innovation Protection Act, the same legislation he helped introduce in 2013 and 2015. While the medical device tax is currently suspended, the 2.3 percent tax is scheduled to go back into effect in January 2018 on items ranging from surgical drapes and catheters to advanced imaging equipment.
Donnelly said, “I have long said the Affordable Care Act is not perfect and one way we can improve the health care law would be by repealing the medical device tax. After suspending the medical device tax, I hope we can repeal it in order to allow medical device manufacturers to hire new workers, invest in new research and technologies, and continue producing lifesaving products. Repealing the medical device tax would benefit hardworking Indiana families, businesses in our state, and patients who use these medical products.”
Indiana is home to many innovative medical device companies, which together employ more than 16,000 Hoosiers. Indiana Ranked second in the nation in export of life science products, which include medical device products, according to a Biocrossroads report released February 2016.
Donnelly has been a longtime supporter of repealing the medical device tax. In 2015 he pushed for and helped get enacted a two-year suspension of the medical device tax.
