A few days ago, Sen Brown was o the hustings, decrying a tax on medical devices that helps to fund the Affordable Care Act, saying it’ll cost jobs. Brown would repeal the act.
Brown frames the issue as one of jobs vs. Obamacare. But let’s get back to basics: you will not hear Scott Brown mention that he’s willing to take away health care for 32 million Americans – over a 2.3% tax on those device makers. Wow, there’s balance for you. Let’s also remember the cost-saving measures in the ACA, and how many jobs are killed by rising health care costs. Brown would replace these with …. What?
Playing these special interest games cuts a number of ways, too: hospitals will be harmed if the ACA is struck down by the Supreme Court. What about them?
It’s perfectly simple to see what Brown’s doing. His opposition to the law was opportunistic, just like the rest of the GOP which couldn’t stomach handing the President a big victory. His small-time needling of the bill is just post-hoc rationalization for a prejudice against a bill very much like the one he voted for as a member of the state senate.
It doesn’t make sense. It’s silly. Sen. Brown is tying himself up in knots as much as Romney. No one has to play along, though.
Brown, or Romney, or any republican to answer one question: what do they think was the cause of the worst economic crisis since the great depression?
ACA brings medical device manufacturers 34 million new customers, over 10% increase of people insured. With all of these additional potential customers they are going to lose jobs? Does he think we’re idiots?
Here’s the deal, those that benefit the most from ACA, like medical device manufactures are going to have to pay a small portion to help pay of the law. This is something that Republicans don’t understand, the law doesn’t increase the deficit so you have to pay for it. I know this is an odd concept for Republicans to understand.
So lobbying groups have Scott Brown in their back pocket, shocker!
if your claim is true (and it sure seems reasonable) then why aren’t medical device manufacturers lining up to *support* ACA?
The thought process was to have areas that benefit from the law help pay for it. Originally, the excise tax was around 5%, they lobbied congress to cut it in half, and they got it. Now they are looking to get rid of the tax entirely and get all the benefits, if you have a powerful enough lobby, they might just get it (see oil industry). Losing jobs is baloney, moving jobs oversees is bogus, the excise tax includes imports, no benefit from this specific tax. Plus, the excise is limited to hospital specific purchases, not individuals and it’s doesn’t include companies that purchase manufactured parts. It’s specifically the final purchased product sold to health care institutions, those who benefit directly by the law.
health insurance companies also. Because maybe along with the new customers, come some new rules, like you can’t gouge the marketplace (devices) and you must cover everyone (insurance.)