Companies
that make medical devices are concerned that they are going to have to
carry a heavy tax burden under a health care reform plan proposed by
Senator Max Baucus. Baucus is the Senate Finance Committee Chairman. His plan would place fees on medical device manufacturers to help pay for health care reform. Andy
Besser is the manager of a prosthetics and orthotics company in
Davenport. Many of the components used to make artificial arms and
legs would be taxed under the Baucus plan. Joints for knee braces and
prosthetic feet that the company orders from other manufacturers would
be included in that tax. That added cost will be passed on to
his company and in turn to the consumer. He says as expenses go up, it
might be difficult for some medical device companies to keep people on
board as well as hire and expand businesses. Besser says it's going to
become just that much tougher.
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