Device Tax Repeal Gains High Profile During Shutdown, But Significant Barriers Remain

01 Oct 2013

Some House Democrats and Republicans are circulating a device tax repeal proposal, including an idea for replacing the revenue, to resolve the shutdown. But the president and Democratic leaders in the Senate insist that they will only accept a clean funding bill with no Obamacare strings attached.

Public talk of repealing the medical device excise tax has become an increasingly common occurrence in Washington, D.C., during the partial government shutdown that began Oct. 1. But steep challenges to achieving a repeal remain in place.

Device tax repeal is being raised by lawmakers as a potential point of compromise as the impasse on approving funding...