http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2564312House Dems seek repeal of Obamacare tax
By Robert King | May 11, 2015 | 3:16 pm
A slew of Democratic House members want to repeal a controversial medical device tax in the next few weeks.
The effort, detailed in a letter released Monday, puts more heat on Democratic congressional leaders to support repeal of the tax created to help pay for Obamacare.
"Repealing this harmful tax would be a welcome relief for hundreds of innovative job-creators across the country," said Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., on the letter he signed along with 16 other Democrats given to House leaders in both parties.
The letter calls for a vote before the Memorial Day recess on the latest bill to repeal the tax.
The excise tax on medical device makers has continually put Democrats in a quandary. While Republicans are in favor of repeal, so are many Democrats in states that rely heavily on the biotech industry.
Opponents of the tax claim it will cause medical device firms, especially smaller ones, to shutter and cost Americans jobs.
The tax went into effect in 2013 and is projected to collect nearly $30 billion in revenue over the next decade, according to a report form the Congressional Research Service.
The research agency found that most of the tax would be made up through consumer prices. However, the effect on healthcare prices will "most likely be negligible because of the small size of the tax and small share of healthcare spending attributable to medical devices," the agency said in the report released earlier this year.
The device tax isn't the only Obamacare-related measure getting Democratic scorn. Some lawmakers also want a tax on pricey insurance plans to also be repealed.
