The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) applauded 12 U.S. governors for writing a letter strongly encouraging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, to permanently repeal the medical device tax before the end of the year, according to a MITA news release published Dec. 18.  

“We applaud this group of governors for leading the charge against a tax that puts tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs at risk and prevents a world-leading advanced industry from innovating to stay on top,” Patrick Hope, executive director of MITA, said in a prepared statement.  

The governors who signed the letter were Greg Abbott (Texas), Matt Bevin (Kentucky), Phil Bryant (Mississippi), Jeff Coyler (Kansas), Gary Herbert (Utah), Paul LePage (Maine), Henry McMaster (South Carolina), Kim Reynolds (Iowa), Pete Ricketts (Nebraska), Rick Scott (Florida), Christopher Sununu (New Hampshire) and Scott Walker (Wisconsin). 

The 2.3 percent excise tax on all medical technology sales sold in the U.S. has been criticized for inhibiting innovation, increasing prices for consumer and contributing to the loss of over 21,000 jobs since the levy was enacted in 2013, according to MITA.  

Opposers of the tax were enthused when the House passed legislation in July supporting permanent repeal of the tax. The Senate, however, has yet to take any action regarding the tax.   

“As leaders, it is vital that we seize on opportunities to inject free-market principles into our health care system, which will not only improve it but bring down premiums and stop the unsustainable spending,” the governors wrote in their letter.