Senate Releases Health Care Reform Legislation

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released the Senate health care reform legislation this week. The bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is the combined product of two previous committee bills from the Finance and HELP Committees. Among other device related provisions, the bill includes a $20 billion tax on the medical device industry. The tax would be non-deductible and would be effective beginning in 2010.