US House votes to repeal tax on medical devices

June 8, 2012 in Health

The US House of Representatives ignored a White House veto threat and voted Thursday to repeal a tax on medical devices, an element of President Barack Obama's health care law which Republicans say kills jobs and hinders innovation.

Lawmakers in the Republican-led chamber voted 270-146 to repeal the 2.3-percent tax, which is set to take effect in January and hit sales of devices such as pacemakers and machines used in hospitals.

Most Democrats and the White House oppose the move as a political gimmick aimed at luring voters in the heat of an election year, and the measure has little chance of passing the Senate, where Democrats are in control.

Mitt Romney, Obama's Republican rival in the presidential election in November, said he was "encouraged that the House has done the right thing" by repealing the tax.

"With unemployment stuck over eight percent for 40 months, we can't afford policies that kill jobs and stifle innovation in one of America's most dynamic industries."

Romney has consistently pledged to repeal the , what he and others calls "Obamacare," on day one of his presidency if he is elected.

Democrats argue that the repeal will cost the government $29 billion, and Senator Carl Levin slammed the vote as a "pernicious" effort to dismantle and avoid action on key jobs-creating legislation, including a languishing highway construction bill, while Obama seeks re-election.

(c) 2012 AFP

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Adult day services for dementia patients provide stress relief to family caregivers

Family caregivers of older adults with dementia are less stressed and their moods are improved on days when dementia patients receive adult day services (ADS), according to Penn State researchers.

Health created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Schools should provide opportunities for 60 minutes of daily physical activity to all students

Given the implications for the overall health, development, and academic success of children, schools should play a primary role in ensuring that all students have opportunities to engage in at least 60 minutes per day of ...

Health created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Survey reveals the success of personal budgets in social care

Over 70 per cent of people who hold a personal budget for social care said it led to greater independence and support according to the latest survey.

Health created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists develop smartphone 'assistance agent' for older people

A new smartphone application, developed by scientists at the University of Ulster, which could help older people engage fully in an increasingly self-serve society, may be ready for use by the end of the ...

Health created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Can you put a price on health?

As health services strive to improve quality and reduce costs, researchers study the benefits – and the pitfalls – of 'pay for performance' in hospitals.

Health created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter motion (w/ video)

A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain's unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose ...

Defective cellular waste removal explains why Gaucher patients often develop Parkinson's disease

Gaucher disease causes debilitating and sometimes fatal neurodegeneration in early childhood. Recent studies have uncovered a link between the mutations responsible for Gaucher disease and an increased risk ...

Discarded immune cells induce the relocation of stem cells

Spanish researchers have discovered that the daily clearance of neutrophils from the body stimulates the release of hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, according to a report published today ...

Improved chemo regimen for childhood leukemia may offer high survival, no added heart toxicity

Treating pediatric leukemia patients with a liposomal formulation of anthracycline-based chemotherapy at a more intense-than-standard dose during initial treatment may result in high survival rates without causing any added ...

UN reports 22 deaths worldwide from coronavirus

A new coronavirus has now claimed 22 lives worldwide out of 44 lab-confirmed cases, mostly in Saudi Arabia, World Health Organization officials said Thursday.

Protein preps cells to survive stress of cancer growth and chemotherapy

Scientists have uncovered a survival mechanism that occurs in breast cells that have just turned premalignant-cells on the cusp between normalcy and cancers-which may lead to new methods of stopping tumors.