Dent Continues Fight Against the Bedpan Tax

Dent in Hanover Tp on Armed Forces Day

When the House voted for a trillion dollar health care overhaul in 2010, LV Congressman Charlie Dent was one of the dissenting voices. In his Congressional speech, just one of his many objections included President Obama's Bedpan Tax.

We will feel the impact close to home. A 2.3 percent medical device tax will increase the cost of medical devices – everything from tongue depressors to wheelchairs – and discourage the development of critical new medical innovations. Specifically, this tax will impact businesses in our district imperiling jobs; curtailing advanced research and innovation; reducing purchasing from Pennsylvania vendors; and hampering investment in capital equipment. The ripple effect on our economy and on working families will be far greater than the sum of the tax. And ultimately, patients will see increased costs as a result.

We'll fix that later, claimed Obamacare supporters. That was over two years ago.

According to the Advanced Medical tTchnology Association, this new tax will cost the medical device industry $3 billion and result in the loss of 1,700 jobs in Pennsylvania alone.

Yesterday, Dent voted with a majority of the House (270-146) to repeal the bedpan tax, joined by 37 Democrats. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doubts he'll consider the matter anytime soon.

An original co-sponsor of this repeal, Dent is particularly concerned about how the medical device tax is impacting Lehigh Valley biomedical employers, which include Aesculap, Boas Surgical, Biomed, BBraun, Olympus, Orasure and Precision Medical Instruments. "To improve the quality of health care in the United States, our public policies should encourage greater investment in the research and development of advanced devices, not impose taxes that limit innovation,” noted Dent.

In Dent's eyes, this is the provision of Obamacare that bothers him most. “The tax’s sole purpose is to raise money to pay for a new government entitlement program. Unfortunately, it will simultaneously increase the cost of products and services Americans need to live healthy and productive lives. Essentially, Americans will be paying more for medical devices in order to finance the policies driving up the cost of their care.”