MASSDEVICE ON CALL — U.S. Senate hopefuls vying for a seat in the Massachusetts campaign agree on 1 point: opposition to the medical device tax. Both Reps. Edward Markey (D) and private equity investor Gabriel Gomez (R) expressed disapproval of the 2.3% excise tax on medical device companies during the recent emphasis on tax policy on the campaign trial this week.
Gomez courted small businesses with a visit to Guided Surgery Solutions, a dental drill company based in Wellesley, Mass., where he publicized his belief that the tax will hurt the approximately 25,000 jobs in Massachusetts supported by medical device companies, according to reporting from MassLive.com.
Gomez took some heat from The Boston Globe when his opponents called him out on his purported ignorance of the Blunt and Stupak Amendments, both of which relate to insurance coverage obligations for contraception.
So far Markey has focused his campaign around his pro-choice abortion views. Although the Congressman voted for President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform bill, he said he was against the device tax as part of the legislation.
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