Opponents of the medical device tax may have an ally in interventional radiologists, thanks to a recent commentary published in the Journal of Vascular & Interventional Radiology.
Penned by a handful of MDs, the article warned that the 2.3% medical device sales tax may represent a hurdle for the "entrepreneurial interventional radiologist" who wishes to bring a new technology to the market.
As the tax puts more pressure on medical device makers, big companies are likely to cut lower-margin products and small companies may not survive long enough to introduce new technologies, the authors wrote.
"Educational and marketing budgets will also likely be hit, potentially limited access to company representatives who are integral in product education and quality assurance," according to the article. "Although the severity of the impact of this tax on the industry remains unclear, interventional radiologists are likely to feel some repercussions."
Proponents of repealing the medical device have long warned that the levy could slash research & development budgets, result in layoffs and raise the cost of healthcare, despite claims that the Affordable Care Act, which the medtech tax helps to fund, and the new patients it insures represent something of a windfall for the healthcare industry.
"Although the medical device excise tax is paid by the medical device manufacturer or importer, it may nonetheless have important implications for hospitals, interventional radiologists,and their patients," according to the commentary. "For the time being, the medical device excise tax stands, and we must as a field must wait to see what the tax will actually mean for the practice of interventional radiology."
