June 7, 2012

Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) calls for support of bipartisan legislation to prevent a new 2.3% excise tax from being imposed on U.S. sales of medical devices. The tax, which was included in the President's overreaching healthcare law and is currently scheduled to take effect in 2013, would directly cost the U.S. medical device industry billions of dollars per year -- not including costs of compliance -- to the detriment of American jobs and medical innovation. Last month, Upton met with employees of Kalamazoo-based job creator and medical device manufacturer Stryker Corporation concerning the harmful impact of the new tax, among other issues including efforts led by Upton to streamline the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval process for medical devices. Upton is a cosponsor of the Protect Medical Innovation Act (H.R. 436), which passed the House by a vote of 270 to 146 and now awaits consideration in the Senate.