The U.S. House of Representatives repealed the medical device excise tax in a 270-146 vote on June 7.
Nearly all House members were present for the vote, not a single Republican voted against the measure, but only about a dozen Democrats offered their support. The vote took place in the shadow of a Capitol Hill bulletin assuring that White House senior advisors would block the bill, H.R. 436, Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2012, should the measure reach the President’s desk.
Prior to this vote, many Democrats had reserved judgment on this repeal bill, which is more than a year in the making, while waiting for Republicans to come up with a “pay-for” to make up for the $30 billion in revenue the 2.3 percent medical device excise tax would generate over ten years. GOP leaders unveiled the prior week a way to pay for medical device tax repeal through a measure that would strengthen efforts to recoup healthcare insurance subsidies paid to low- and mid-income households should their eligibility change. The measure could raise as much as $43.9 billion over ten years.
The debate now moves forward to the Democratic-led Senate.
