Republican efforts to reel back parts of the Affordable Care Act are already underway early in the new Congress, as Representative Erik Paulsen (R., Minn.) introduced a bill that has been a longstanding talking point for the GOP.
The legislation would repeal the medical-device tax, a controversial 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices that is included in the Affordable Care Act. Paulsen introduced the bill in the last two sessions of Congress, where it passed in the House with bipartisan support. But both times failed to get a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate, even as some Democrats expressed support for the cause. The closest the Senate ever came was a non-binding budget resolution that passed 79–20 in 2013.
The current iteration of the Protect Medical Innovation Act introduced on Wednesday has nearly 300 co-sponsors, including 27 Democrats.
With Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell at the helm, a repeal is expected to pass both chambers and go to the president’s desk. From there, it is unclear whether he will sign it, although proponents of the repeal are optimistic.