Democrats urge delay for “job-killing” ObamaCare tax
Sixteen Democratic senators who voted for the Affordable Care Act are asking that one of its fundraising mechanisms, a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices scheduled to take effect January 1, be delayed. Echoing arguments made by Republicans against Obamacare, the Democratic senators say the levy will cost jobs — in a statement Monday, Sen. Al Franken called it a “job-killing tax” — and also impair American competitiveness in the medical device field. …
“The medical technology industry directly employs over 400,000 people in the United States and is responsible for a total of two million skilled manufacturing jobs,” the senators wrote in a December 4 letter to Reid. “We must do all we can to ensure that our country maintains its global leadership position in the medical technology industry and keeps good jobs here at home.”
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It is too bad the Republicans put that provision in there in the first place. What were they thinking?
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cptacek on December 12, 2012 at 9:18 AM
No delays. Give the people what they voted for.
Damned teabaggers and their tax increases!
Good Lt on December 12, 2012 at 9:20 AM
Sorry, not possible. Only massive tax increases on everything can get the economy going.
darwin on December 12, 2012 at 9:28 AM
“there will be blood”
jake-the-goose on December 12, 2012 at 9:28 AM
Let them own it.
22044 on December 12, 2012 at 9:29 AM
errrr…drrrrrrr…../drooling
Yeah ummm… did we not point this out BEFORE it was passed? O those silly conservatives…
watertown on December 12, 2012 at 9:30 AM
This is what happens when one votes on a bill before reading it. Make no mistake. These same morons who say they are against the tax now, happily voted for it then.
HotAirian on December 12, 2012 at 9:32 AM
Nope, just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, your sugar was the reelection of The Won. Ain’t it cool!!
Cindy Munford on December 12, 2012 at 9:32 AM
Hello, GOP. This is the path back to a position strength. Middle class taxes have and are going up thanks to Obamacare.
mwbri on December 12, 2012 at 9:33 AM
Sorry, I don’t think that is severable…
tomg51 on December 12, 2012 at 9:33 AM
Without reading it!! According to a thread MKH wrote day before yesterday, they are still writing it. How do these idiots pass fill in the blank legislation?
Cindy Munford on December 12, 2012 at 9:34 AM
They’re forgetting the hidden tax on pre-existing conditions that will cost businesses $63 per person that takes effect in 2014. Or is it too early to complain about that?
moonsbreath on December 12, 2012 at 9:37 AM
Wait a minute, medical devices? Are the dems accusing this administration of ‘THE WAR ON SCIENCE’? Pretty ironic.
tommy71 on December 12, 2012 at 9:37 AM
Didn’t the House pass a bill repealing this and Reid stalled it?
Proof again Democrats are dumb period.
gophergirl on December 12, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Where’s the moronic “lostmotherland” communist to give us it’s pearl of wisdom?
darwin on December 12, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Okay, so this tax will hurt the economy, but raising taxes people making over $200k won’t? ‘Splain that one to me.
The Rogue Tomato on December 12, 2012 at 9:40 AM
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Just wait.
NJ Red on December 12, 2012 at 9:40 AM
Yeah, I think “heartache” might have been rather apropos here.
Cindy Munford on December 12, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Death Panel to Granny: “We’re sorry, the cost of replacing your knee has become too expensive. We will only authorize pain pills”.
darwin on December 12, 2012 at 9:42 AM
I don’t think they consider tongue depressors as science.
Cindy Munford on December 12, 2012 at 9:42 AM
darwin on December 12, 2012 at 9:43 AM
“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that guy behind the tree.”
Abelard on December 12, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Even if this tax is repealed, the GOP needs to hang this around the neck of Obama’s and Dems. If I recall, the only Republican who voted for Obamacare was that clown Cao from a district in New Orleans–and I think he got buried in November 2010.
The GOP should be compiling a scorecard of the “fixes” that need to be made to the Obamacare legislation and to its regulations. I look forward to the contraception mandate going down in flames at SCOTUS on religious liberty grounds.
BuckeyeSam on December 12, 2012 at 9:52 AM
Key word is “delay”.
They don’t want to entirely stop the killing of these jobs, they just want to delay the killing of these jobs. It’s not politically convenient to kill those jobs right now.
ButterflyDragon on December 12, 2012 at 9:55 AM
The GOP should not agree to amend any provision of Obamacare. If the Dems find a fault with it and they’re afraid it will hurt them politically, we should just insist on full repeal.
Oh, you voted for Nancy’s crap sandwich and now you don’t like the taste? To bad suckers. Throw the whole thing in the trash or keep chewing on it. You don’t get to spit out the little crap morstles you don’t like unless you’re willing to toss the whole thing.
dczombie on December 12, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Curse you Bush!
Gatsu on December 12, 2012 at 9:58 AM
Who does the medical device industry give their political donations to?
Night Owl on December 12, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Hell no. The Dems voted for it. They can own it. What are they gonna do if the GOP refuses to play along? Blame Republicans for allowing a tax only Democrats voted for get implemented? The absurdity of that argument will be fun to listen to.
Serious question though. If this tax does get “delayed”(which will likely go on indefinitely like the doc fix in Medicare), how much of Obamacare’s funding will be lost as a result? It’s already projected to cost 2-3 times what the CBO originally estimated and blocking the implementation of these taxes will only make matters worse.
Doughboy on December 12, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Screw them. They voted for this destructive law, now they can own every disastrous part of it. They (along with the people who voted for them) deserve all of the consequences – good and hard.
Common Sense Floridian on December 12, 2012 at 10:09 AM
What’s the betting that a medical device is one of the million things ‘To be determined by the Secretary for Health and Human Services’.
And she’ll say it is everything from pacemakers to q-tips.
Change.
CorporatePiggy on December 12, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Covidien, a large multi-national medical devices company, already laid off 600 workers. They are scrambling to deal with the uncertainties of the roll out of O-care.
it is a damn shame too. All that capital that could be spent in their R&D department inventing the next life saving or surgical device is now being SQUANDERED on regulation compliance or set aside to wait out the uncertainty.
tom daschle concerned on December 12, 2012 at 10:19 AM
Hold up, you mean higher taxes kill jobs?
This flies in the face of what Obama and his Cultists have been saying for the past four years…
Weird.
visions on December 12, 2012 at 10:26 AM
This was the funniest news story of the week. Unfortunately, such irony is lost on liberals, Obamaphone recipients, the MSM, etc.
KS Rex on December 12, 2012 at 10:39 AM
As Col. Nathan Jessup might say: “Is there any other kind?”
BobMbx on December 12, 2012 at 10:40 AM
Obamacare: The Lobbyist Full Employment Act.
We will see Congress wheeling and dealing like Congress has never whelt and dealt before. They’re buying and selling our individual freedom.
PattyJ on December 12, 2012 at 10:45 AM
Republicans really are stupid.
Instead of working with the Dems to “fix” this horrible edict, how about telling them the only way they will work together with them is to REPEAL THE ENTIRE LAW??!!
Sheesh.
Rixon on December 12, 2012 at 10:58 AM
Isn’t it amazing that Dembeciles actually admitted, allowed themselves to be quoted and put into writing that a tax is JOB-KILLING! How could they allow themselves to be on record admitting that?!
stukinIL4now on December 12, 2012 at 11:01 AM
I was at the vet this morning with my geriatric cat and mentioned that I had read where Obamacare are going to affect vet bills. He said that was true because so much of what they use are devices used for humans. (Amazing that latex gloves qualify as devices) Most vets in Texas graduate from A&M’s vet school and are conservative, ergo most can’t stand Obama.
TxAnn56 on December 12, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Gee, what are the Democrats worried about? The election’s over, right?
(*snicker*)
Aitch748 on December 12, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Democrats have no soul.
None at all.
Jabberwock on December 12, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Because they know they can count on the media to help them blame the Republicans for it.
CurtZHP on December 12, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Well, latex gloves are included (affecting veterinarians, etc), so why not ? Argh.
pambi on December 12, 2012 at 11:47 AM
TxAnn56
I should have kept reading the thread LOL
Yup, all true.
pambi on December 12, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Actually,
they can claim ignorance and everyone will believe them.
Jabberwock on December 12, 2012 at 11:50 AM