[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1041-E1042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HEALTH CARE COST REDUCTION ACT OF 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. JOHN C. CARNEY, JR.

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2012

  Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my thoughts about 
the tax on medical devices.
  The House voted on H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 
2012. This bill would have repealed the 2.3 percent tax on medical 
devices that was instituted to pay for the Affordable Care Act. While I 
did not support H.R. 436, I recognize that medical device makers are at 
the forefront of innovation and that Federal legislation should support 
those efforts. I am concerned about the impact that the medical device 
tax will have on American jobs. Particularly during these difficult 
economic times, I believe we must do everything we can to encourage, 
not stifle, job creation.
  I believe the Affordable Care Act will provide critical health care 
coverage to millions of Americans, and I also believe that paying for 
it responsibly is important. I did not support H.R. 436 because I do 
not believe that Americans already struggling to afford the cost of 
healthcare coverage should bear the burden of eliminating this tax. 
Moreover, I believe we should refrain from making significant changes 
to the funding structure of the Affordable Care Act until the Supreme 
Court has rendered its decision on the constitutionality of the law. At 
that time, the House should revisit repealing the medical device tax 
with an offset that protects American families while being fiscally 
responsible.

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