Stephen J. Ubl: 10 People Who Changed the Medtech IndustryStephen J. Ubl: 10 People Who Changed the Medtech Industry

As president of AdvaMed, Ubl has amplified the lobbying voice of the medtech industry.

June 10, 2013

2 Min Read
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Few people have had as much influence on the industry as Steven J. Ubl. In just a few short years, he has dramatically raised the profile of the medical device industry on Capitol Hill. Medtech now has a powerful lobbying voice in Washington, DC, and that voice belongs to Ubl. The online magazine The Hill named him one of the top Washington lobbyists in 2012.

 Ubl couldn’t do it alone. As president of AdvaMed, he has the association's strong membership behind him. The 336-member industry trade group supports a range of initiatives, including improving U.S. medtech competitiveness, making FDA’s review process more transparent, improving the reimbursement process, and encouraging ethical business practices.

The association’s most visible initiative in the past 3 years has, of course, been the continued effort to repeal the medical device excise tax attached to the ACA. Ubl’s leadership has helped drum up bipartisan support for repeal. AdvaMed is supportive of the ACA but condemns the device tax provision.

Some controversy initially surrounded AdvaMed’s support of the ACA. In 2009, the association supported a version of the device tax that would place higher levies on complex devices, spurring cardio device developer St. Jude Medical to publicly withdraw its support from the association. Soon after, AdvaMed announced that it did not support any form of the device tax.

Ubl has since been one of the most vocal and influential advocates for repeal, arguing that the device tax is a hardship on the industry. St. Jude Medical recently rejoined the association, an acknowledgement of AdvaMed’s device tax repeal efforts.

Before Ubl became president of AdvaMed in 2005, he was a Washington lobbyist and healthcare consultant. From 1998 to 2004, he served as AdvaMed’s executive vice president of federal government relations. He has also been a staffer for senator Charles Grassley (R-IA).

Ubl’s ability to rally the industry behind this key issue has shifted the tone of Washington, DC, politics in the medtech industry's favor. 

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