Medical Device Tax Slashed in Senate Bill

The expected revenues from a tax on medical devices fell from $20 billion to $2 billion in the Senate health reform bill that will soon be debated. Sen. Evan Bayh campaigned heavily against the tax. Bayh said it would have cost Indiana 63,000 jobs: "I told them it was crazy at a time when the economy was so bad. When a proposal like this threatens an important Hoosier industry and thousands of jobs across our state, I'm not going to stand idly by and let that happen." You can read more from the Bloomington Herald Times here and a press release from Bayh's office here.