Jackie Walorski

Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (IN-02) issued the following statement after the House passed legislation to repeal the Medical Device Tax.

H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015, which Walorski is an original co-sponsor, repeals the 2.3 percent tax on device sales, a significant funding mechanism for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. 

“It’s time to stop propping up Obamacare with a tax on the medical device industry at the expense of the Hoosier economy,” Walorski said. “Because of this burdensome tax, businesses in my district, like Complexus Medical, have been forced to cut their budgets on research and development. This has impeded their discovery of innovative medical technologies. Today, republicans and democrats lifted a barrier to the growth of a vital industry. In doing so, the House continued its focus to enable a business climate that encourages, not penalizes, innovation and allows the medical device industry to grow, create jobs and produce new, life-saving technologies.”

Michael Behrens, vice president of operations for Complexus, an orthopedic instrument manufacturer located Mishawaka, thanked Walorski for her support of the legislation. “What’s bad for our customers is bad for us and for too long, this tax on sales of medical devices has prevented our customers from discovering new innovations in the medical device industry and inhibited new products from being developed. We thank Rep. Walorski for supporting a repeal of this burdensome tax and her leadership in Congress. ”

The legislation passed the House by a vote of 280-140 and now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District in Indiana, where she serves as a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, House Armed Services Committee, and House Committee on Agriculture.