Medical device tax still part of health care bill
A proposed tax on medical device makers, which has raised concern among Massachusetts companies, remained in the national health care bill after the Senate Finance Committee completed its amendments to the bill early yesterday morning. But industry representatives said they still hope to strike the tax from the bill before the full Senate votes on it.
The measure would raise $4 billion a year to help pay for the Obama administration’s health care overhaul by taxing medical gear producers. Massachusetts device makers estimate they would have to pay an additional $400 million annually in taxes, effectively doubling the tax bills of some companies.
While there was support in the Finance Committee for the manufacturers, two amendments to eliminate the tax were tabled because senators couldn’t agree on an “offset’’ - replacement revenue that could be used to fund the overhaul of the health care system.
“We continue to work to educate members of Congress about the onerous nature of this $40 billion tax,’’ said Wanda Moebius, vice president of policy communications for the Advanced Medical Technology Association, a Washington trade group.
