Upon
passage of the ACA in 2010, medical device manufacturers became subjected to a
tax that has inflicted on this important group of employers. In an effort
to support the industry, bolster the economy, and protect jobs in the state,
Senate Republicans secured an amendment that would create a commission to study
the short and long term effects of the medical device tax on the Massachusetts
economy and its employers.
“The
medical device tax contained in the ACA has significant negative impacts on
this critical group of employers in our Commonwealth, and thus for our state’s
economy as well,” wrote Senate Republicans to the members of the conference
committee. “Accordingly, the Senate embraced our amendment to create a
commission to study those impacts and inform a course of action to address them.”
Widely
lauded as the model for the federal Affordable Care Act, the 2006 Massachusetts
Health Care reform law has achieved the overall goals of the ACA by providing
healthcare to over 97% of the Commonwealth’s residents; however, due to restrictions
on risk rating factors, and the requirement of a new health care exchange
website have undermined the Massachusetts health care law.
“Unfortunately,
the Massachusetts law touted repeatedly as the prototype for the federal ACA is
now being undermined by its federal successor,” wrote the caucus. “Our
amendment now before you would require the administration to request a
permanent waiver from two important elements of the ACA: the requirement to use
only 4 risk rating factors as opposed to the 9 currently used in Massachusetts,
and the requirement to create a new exchange website, even though the
Commonwealth’s exchange has complied with the ACA’s goal of health care
coverage.”
