Election Update: What the Midterms Mean for Medical Imaging

The midterm elections are over, finally!  While Democrats managed to regain leadership of the House, Republicans picked up three seats in the Senate – effectively solidifying their control of the upper chamber.

In a polarized climate, a “two-party” Congress will almost certainly be accompanied by political foot-dragging for the next two years, making substantive legislative action more difficult. This is why we want the Senate to repeal the medical device tax THIS year.

The reason for urgency is simple: Given the political unpredictability of the new legislative alignment and shifting priorities for both parties, device tax repeal in 2019 is far from certain.  The House successfully voted to repeal the excise tax on medical devices – an initiative which was supported by almost five dozen Democrats and all but one Republican. But the repeal effort stalled in the Senate with no noticeable action in months. If the Senate fails to vote before the end of 2018, then the entire effort will have to be started over in next year’s new Congress.

Our elected leaders are vocal about supporting important medical innovations but do not always follow through in ways that actually improve the quality of care.  Such is the case today and why including the repeal of the device tax in the Senate agenda this year is so important.

If you believe the U.S. should continue leading the world in medical innovation, contact your Senators and tell them to support the Protect Medical Innovation Act today!

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