Congressman Todd Young (R-IN9) voted in favor of H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act, a bill he co-sponsored that would repeal a 2.3% tax on medical device sales.  The House voted to repeal the tax, which was part of 2010’s health care law, by a 270-146 margin.

“Back in October, I--along with several of my colleagues from Indiana--hosted a bipartisan forum to discuss this issue with medical device industry leaders,” said Young.  “The response was unanimous: This tax would be devastating to Indiana and to device manufacturers across the country.  Indiana is recognized internationally in this industry because dozens of medical device manufacturers are headquartered here, and 20,000 Hoosiers work in this field.  I’m proud to co-sponsor and vote for a bill to protect Indiana jobs.”

Steve Ferguson, Chairman of Bloomington-based medical device maker Cook Group, agreed.

“We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives which today passed bipartisan legislation that repeals the medical device tax,” said Ferguson.  “We hope the U.S. Senate will act in the near future.  If not repealed, this tax will lead to U.S. technology and jobs being relocated outside the U.S.  Further, we will see a loss in future jobs, and delays in the latest medical innovations being available to American patients.  Americans want their critical devices manufactured in the U.S. and to have access to the latest medical technologies.”