Leader McConnell, Speaker Ryan, Leaders Schumer and Pelosi, and Members of Congress:
On behalf of the millions of people who struggle to manage complex chronic and rare diseases,
their families and caregivers who rely on medical technology to save, extend and improve
quality of life, the undersigned patient advocacy, disability, research, and community
healthcare organizations are writing to express our deep concern about the impact of the
medical device excise tax and its imminent reinstatement slated for January 1, 2018.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of this onerous tax – suspended under current law
through the end of 2017 – is preventing manufacturers from maximizing investments in the
research and development needed to continue to improve patient care in the U.S. and around
the world, and solve tomorrow’s most complex medical problems.
From molecular diagnostics and advanced imaging systems to implantable devices like
pacemakers and artificial joints, medical technologies are critical to diagnosing and treating
diseases and conditions that significantly impact patients’ lives – illnesses like cancer and heart
disease, and debilitating autoimmune conditions like arthritis and chronic pain.
Medical technology touches every aspect of the health care continuum. For people with cancer,
diagnostic tests and imaging technologies offer vital information that guides more precise
treatment, while radiotherapies and surgical oncology tools provide treatment options with
fewer side effects, giving patients hope for a better quality of life. For people suffering spinal
cord injury and disease, medical technology is an essential element to improving mobility and
living independently. And for people with neurological conditions like epilepsy, medical
technology is providing monitoring solutions that can predict and prevent seizures before they
happen, a technology that would have seemed unimaginable even ten years ago.
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