The Senate Committee on Finance passed the America’s Healthy Future Act out of Committee in October, mostly along a party-line vote. The final vote was 14-9, with Republican Senator Olympia Snowe voting with Democrats.   Included in the bill passed out of Committee was a $40 billion tax on medical device manufacturers over 10 years.   In addition, the bill also includes the creation of a Medicare Commission, requirements for manufacturer payment disclosures to healthcare providers, an extension of the gainsharing demonstration project, and comparative effectiveness provisions. 

 

Over the course of the next month, the Finance Committee and the HELP Committee will work to merge the two respective Committee bills. Senate floor action will likely take place shortly thereafter.

 

MDMA is continuing to fight for the complete removal of the proposed tax on medical device manufacturers by meeting with lawmakers and urging Members to contact their elected officials. In addition, MDMA is working with lawmakers to improve other areas of health reform legislation including physician sunshine and payment reforms.   

 

MDMA also recently cosigned a letter of opposition to the device tax in addition to over 240 other trade groups, device companies and venture capital firms. 

 

MDMA has met with the Commerce Department over the past few months to express concerns with the various provisions within patent reform legislation that would threaten the intellectual property of small, innovative device manufacturers.