A recent op-ed published by Morning Consult urged Democrats in the House and Senate to permanently repeal the 2.3 percent medical device tax in order bring down healthcare costs and promote innovation.   

In the piece, which was highly partisan, Julianne Malveaux, president emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina, argued that although the tax was suspended for two more years in early 2018, its presence still dissuades companies from investing in the research and development needed to create innovative medical devices.

Additionally, Malveaux argued that because affordable healthcare was a top issue in last year’s midterm elections, if Democrats worked to permanently repeal the device tax they could “own the credit for it,” which could give them a potential boost in the next election cycle.

“Democrats will make a real difference if they take leadership on repealing the medical device tax. Repealing this tax creates jobs, contains health care costs and gives our Dems needed bragging rights in the leadup to 2020,” she wrote.

Read the entire op-ed below.