Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act.

H.R. 160 will permanently repeal the misguided excise tax on medical devices that was imposed by the President's healthcare law.

I am a cosponsor of this important legislation, along with over 280 Members of this House of Representatives. In the 113th Congress, the Senate endorsed getting rid of this burdensome tax by an overwhelming margin. It is clearly time for this tax to go.

The medical device tax discourages innovation, lowers the quality of medical care available to the American people, and cuts jobs while driving production overseas.

Companies like RTI Surgical, based in my district, are being harmed by this burdensome tax. Instead of hamstringing these manufacturers, we should be allowing them to produce new medical devices and create jobs.

I am a doctor who treated patients in northern Michigan for 30 years. I know how important medical devices are for providing quality health care, and I believe that getting rid of this tax will improve our Nation's healthcare system.

I hope all my colleagues will join me in supporting this commonsense and long overdue fix for the train wreck that is the President's healthcare law.

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