U.S. Senate leadership reportedly has reduced the proposed levy on medical device makers in the health reform bill from $40 billion to between $15 billion and $20 billion over 10 years, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The lower fee comes as big device makers lobbied hard against the proposed $40 million fee, enlisting senators in their home states of Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and elsewhere.
The original reform bills in the U.S. House did not have a device fee, but House Democrats are now devising an excise tax on medical devices, to be paid at the point of sale, that would yield a total of $20 billion between 2013 and 2019.
Read the Wall Street Journal's report on the proposed medical device fee.
The lower fee comes as big device makers lobbied hard against the proposed $40 million fee, enlisting senators in their home states of Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and elsewhere.
The original reform bills in the U.S. House did not have a device fee, but House Democrats are now devising an excise tax on medical devices, to be paid at the point of sale, that would yield a total of $20 billion between 2013 and 2019.
Read the Wall Street Journal's report on the proposed medical device fee.