Posted on 12/11/2012 9:17:05 AM PST by RoosterRedux
Democratic lawmakers have joined with Republicans in raising alarm about a looming ObamaCare-tied tax on medical devices, saying the additional tax is causing "uncertainty and confusion for businesses" and should be delayed.
The previously obscure tax has, over the last several months, emerged as one of the most controversial in the health care overhaul and one of the few with bipartisan opposition. Starting Jan. 1, the Affordable Care Act imposes a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices with the goal of raising nearly $30 billion over the next decade.
But a group of U.S. senators this week revived concerns that the tax could hurt one of the few U.S. industries "that enjoys a net trade surplus."
"The medical technology industry directly employs over 400,000 people in the United States and is responsible for a total of 2 million high-skilled manufacturing jobs," Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and North Carolina Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan wrote in a letter with 16 other senators and senators-elect Monday to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "In an environment focused on increasing exports, promoting small businesses and growing high-tech manufacturing jobs for the future, we must do all we can to ensure that our country maintains its global leadership position in the medical technology industry and keeps good jobs here at home."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Y’all should have read the bill before you voted on it. Morons.
Here’s the problem. Republicans are now in the mode of fine tuning and trying to improve this turd. I say leave it alone. Let the people fully experience what they voted for, without any further adjustments or changes.
Of course, Klobama voted for the bill. She is frantically backtracking because Medtronic and St. Jude Medical both have huge presences in Minnesota.
The time to make changes to the damn thing was when the jacka$$es were ramming the stupid thing through. In other words, Read the damn thing!
Bump
Do not refine it. Let it play out. Just don’t fund it and make the federal government own it. It will keep them so busy trying to run this POS maybe they will leave us alone.
She’ll get them a waiver like they do for unions. Then when she runs for re-election, the employees and CEO will come out and smooth her giant buttocks in a TV ad.
Obamacare is supposed to reduce payments to hospitals and doctors by 31% for Medicare patients starting next year. Do we really think those cuts will be permitted to be implemented? Of course not. This will make Obamacare even more expensive exploding the idea that Obamacare is cost neutral or will actually cut healthcare spending.
The Reps would be crazy supporting such changes to alleviate the pain of Obamacare. It is bad politics and bad fiscal policy. And cuts in taxes should be matched by cuts in spending by multiples, not one for one.
Congress has already fixed part of Obamacare last year by reducing the reporting paperwork for businesses. The more the Reps help "fix" Obamacare, the more we own it.
I agree. Shove this thing right down the throats of the Dems. No repreives, no adjustments... let them face what they passed. And let them explain to the dumb masses why things are suddenly so expensive.
I agree. Shove this thing right down the throats of the Dems. No repreives, no adjustments... let them face what they passed. And let them explain to the dumb masses why things are suddenly so expensive.
Agree, we don't need Republicans helping the Obama Marxist power and control machine to run better. The Democrats voted for this, let them own it complete with all of destruction and privation that will come from Obamacare.
I agree. Republicans should stand back and force the Democrats to fight with Obama over this tax.
So now they fear their vibrators will be really expensive?
Couple of lady parts Dems in panic mode. Eff ‘em.
Naw. The Dems will introduce a “Sandra Fluke” law to make employers provide single women with free vibrators.
Remind me again, but wasn't it Democrats who not only passed this bill but wrote it as well?
You got that right.
Repubs should say we do not need to raise rates because we already have a tax going into effect on medical devices. The Dems prepared plenty of taxes 3 years ago in the medical industry to raise more revenue. Point out every day how many new taxes are already coming next year.
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