Congress Looks to Delay Medical Device Tax by 5 Years

The House GOP are looking to bring together an 11th-hour fix to stop a tax on medical device companies from taking force as of 1 January 2018.

The 2.3% tax, which was put in place by the Affordable Care Act but then delayed through the end of 2017, would be delayed another five years under the GOP bill.

Industry group AdvaMed commended the leadership of House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) for their proposal to suspend the tax for another five years.

"With time running short, we urge Congress to adopt this suspension immediately," AdvaMed President and CEO Scott Whitaker said in a statement, though the group is still pushing for a full repeal of the tax, as previous bills introduced in the House and Senate had proposed.

"While we applaud this proposed five-year suspension, it is only a first step toward the ultimate goal to fully repeal the medical device tax," Whitaker said.