Cheney Denounces Obamacare’s Device Tax, But Stresses Need for Health Insurance

Republicans loathe the medical device tax, so it comes as no surprise that the latest high-profile Republican to denounce the 2.3% device tax would be former vice president Dick Cheney,

ABC News Radio affiliate KVOR's website reported that Cheney, who is a walking testament to the various innovations that the device industry has produced, told an audience gathered at the National Press Club on Tuesday, in Washington, D.C. that the device tax is “one of the dumbest ideas I’ve heard. I feel very strongly about it.”

He added that it’s an “example of how ill-conceived parts of this program are” in an apparent reference to the Affordable Care Act.

Rail as Republicans, some Democrats and device lobby groups like AdvaMed and Medical Device Manufacturers Association have against the tax, the dynamics in Washington, D.C. haven’t shifted.  

The device tax appears to be here to stay and Republicans like Cheney are bound to attack it.even though attention has shifted to the embarrassing debut of the healthcare.gov web site. 

But what is surprising is that Cheney did not take this opportunity to slam Obamacare as a whole. The former vice president, who reportedly has an implanted defibrillator, pacemaker, stents and undergone major procedures such as a full heart transplant to battle heart disease told the audience the importance of health insurance.

There was a time in my life when I was about 23, shortly before we got married when I was sick, hospitalized and uninsured. I spent our honeymoon money on medical bills. Later on, I learned that I needed health insurance.

No other simple yet powerful defense of Obamacare may be possible, Democrat or Republican.
 

[Photo Credit: iStock Photo]

-- By Arundhati Parmar, Senior Editor, MD+DI
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