"There are significant problems with the president's health care law in terms of cost, quality and delivery of health care. The American people have time and again said that they oppose an overly bureaucratic government running their health care," said Isakson. "I am pleased to co-sponsor several measures in the Senate this week that aim to repeal the health care law and some of its most unpopular provisions, including the individual mandate tax and the tax on medical devices. It is time that we replace this bill with a step-by-step approach to make health care more accessible, affordable and competitive."
The amendment to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known informally as Obamacare, was introduced by Senate Minority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., and the amendments to repeal the individual mandate and the medical device tax were both introduced by Senator Hatch, R-Utah. The three provisions were offered as amendments to S.2237, a Democratic tax bill now being debated on the Senate floor. No votes have been set for the three health care amendments.
The individual mandate in Obamacare requires that all Americans buy health insurance or pay a fine for failing to do so. The U.S. Supreme Court last month upheld the individual mandate as a legal tax. The medical device tax in Obamacare is a 2.3 percent excise tax that will translate into more than $29 billion over the next 10 years alone from the medical device industry. Makers of medical devices contribute nearly $382 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy every year with devices that often improve patients' lives and can result in lower overall costs for patients' medical care.
Isakson voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and has previously voted to repeal the law.
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