(Washington, D.C.) – On Thursday, Members of Indiana’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner asking that full repeal of the medical device tax be included in any must pass legislation considered in the House or the Senate this year.

In the letter, the members write, “In Indiana, medical device companies employ over 20,000 Hoosiers.  Over the last 12 years, the state has added over 5,600 jobs in the medical device industry and the medical device industry indirectly affects tens of thousands of Hoosier jobs.  These jobs pay 56 percent more than the average wage in Indiana.” The lawmakers added, “We urge you to consider not only the 2,124 Indiana jobs that are lost because of this, but the 43,000 jobs nationwide, and include a full repeal of the medical device tax in any must pass legislation considered in the House or the Senate this year.”

The Indiana Medical Device Manufacturers Council added support to the delegation’s letter.

“The hundreds of medical device companies of Indiana are grateful for the attempts to repeal the medical device tax.  Indiana is an international leader in medical device manufacturing, and the repeal of the medical device tax especially will allow the newer and smaller companies to maintain the production of innovative life-saving and life-enhancing products,” stated Peggy Welch, the Indiana Medical Device Manufacturers Council Executive Director.  “The repeal will also help Indiana to retain and continue its creation of quality, good-wage middle-class jobs.”

Repealing the medical device tax has received broad, bipartisan support in both Chambers of Congress. In fact, the Democrat-controlled Senate approved a bill to repeal the tax, in a non-binding budget resolution, 79-20 in March.  Just last year, 37 House Democrats joined their Republican colleagues to repeal the tax in a bill (H.R. 436) that passed 270-146. (ABC News; 9/28/13)

The text of the letter is included below:

October 3, 2013

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader

United States Senate

S-221, the Capitol

Washington, DC

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker

House of Representatives

H-232, the Capitol

Washington, DC

Dear Leader Reid and Speaker Boehner,

On behalf of the people in Indiana, we are asking you to include a full repeal of the medical device tax in any must pass legislation considered in the House or the Senate this year.

In Indiana, medical device companies employ over 20,000 Hoosiers.  Over the last 12 years, the state has added over 5,600 jobs in the medical device industry and the medical device industry indirectly affects tens of thousands of Hoosier jobs.  These jobs pay 56 percent more than the average wage in Indiana.

During the debate on the Senate budget, 79 members of the United States Senate voted to repeal the medical device tax. The Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2013, a full repeal of the medical device tax, currently has 264 co-sponsors in the House.  The message is clear; there is bi-partisan support to permanently repeal this harmful tax.

Not only is this tax costing thousands of jobs, but it is also limiting research on life saving devices. Indiana is home to over 300 medical device companies that produce lifesaving products.  This tax is prohibiting their ability to conduct research or clinical trials to create new medical devices.

We urge you to consider not only the 2,124 Indiana jobs that are lost because of this, but the 43,000 jobs nationwide, and include a full repeal of the medical device tax in any must pass legislation considered in the House or the Senate this year.

Respectfully,

Senator Dan Coats
Rep. Larry Bucshon, M.D.
Rep. Susan Brooks
Rep. Luke Messer
Rep. Todd Rokita
Rep. Marlin Stutzman
Rep. Jackie Walorski
Rep. Todd Young

There will not be a City Council Meeting on Monday, October 7, 2013.   

The next City Council Meeting will be Monday, October 14, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 301 of the Civic Center. 

Committee Meetings will begin at 5:20 p.m. on October 14, 2013

For further information please call 812-436-4993

Posted By CCO without editing, bias or opinion

by: Brad Linzy

As the debate raged over the expense of the recently approved hotel project downtown, one predominant reason emerged among six City Council Members for rejecting the $37.5 million public bond issue – the need for the City of Evansville to maintain its financial leverage to attract an IU Medical School.
In statements issued by several Council Members, including Dr. Dan Adams who sits on the steering committee for the med school, it was clear that most Council Members endorsed the idea of a downtown location for the proposed medical school. “I know for the best bang for our buck, we must put all of our ‘eggs’ in the downtown medical school basket first,” said Councilman Dr. Adams in a statement.

Some city politicians seem predetermined in attracting IU with a proposal for a downtown location.  Mayor Lloyd Winnecke has stated he supports a downtown IU Medical School and has explicitly stated he will only support a downtown development.

In an interview with an Indianapolis radio station Winnecke said, “We are in the early stages of putting together what we think will be a dynamite plan for downtown, and we know that we will be competing with developers who will want it in another county. We know we will compete against developers who will want it in other parts of the city, but we’re gonna fight like the dickens to get it right downtown.”

In addition to a possible downtown site, the exact location of which remains unclear, a handful of other locations have also been discussed – USI campus, Old North High School, Evansville State Hospital Grounds, Burkhardt area land owned by Promenade, the Gateway Women’s Hospital Grounds in Warrick County, and the old Roberts Stadium Site.

To better understand each proposed location, click the map below. You will find the locations of all area hospital facilities (in red), all area educational facilities (in black), and the proposed locations of the IU Med School (blue stars).

CLICK FOR MAP: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?hl=en&mid=zl7L8cNHY9EI.k2mpnNQ2oObA

USI Campus
USI was named as a possible location in a recent Courier article. Although it has merit with its proximity to another educational facility, it lacks proximity to teaching beds at established medical facilities.

Old North High School
Located at Diamond and Stringtown, the Old North High School facility is a favorite of local activist Jordan Baer. The site suffers from a lack of proximity to teaching beds and existing Universities, and has other shortcomings that required even an area high school to relocate.It is unclear why IU would want North High School’s second hand buildings in a location that offers few if any advantages.

Deaconess Gateway Campus
There are a couple of undeveloped sites near the Deaconess Gateway Women’s Hospital. A site adjacent to the Women’s Hospital is considered the foremost rival site not located in Evansville city limits. It is unclear exactly where such a development could occur, but there is a patch of farmland near Deaconess Urgent Care which might work.

Promenade on Burkhardt
While the Burkhardt area has boomed from a retail perspective attracting big box stores and chain restaurants it is unclear why this location might be attractive to IU. It suffers from high traffic and lack of pedestrian access. Furthermore, this site offers no practical advantages over the rumored Warrick County location just down the road.

Downtown Evansville
It’s unclear where a med school might actually go downtown, but this is the preferred location of most politicians, including many Council Members and the Mayor. There is one city block currently empty behind the old Greyhound bus depot, but any downtown location will suffer from a lack of proximity to teaching beds and existing educational facilities. It is also unclear why a downtown location would be preferable to IU over more centralized locations like the State Hospital or Roberts Stadium, or why it would be superior to a Warrick County location near the Gateway Hospital.

Evansville State Hospital Grounds
Due to its proximity to St. Marys, the Lloyd Expressway, the University of Evansville, shopping centers and recreational areas, the State Hospital Grounds are considered a good contender, although it’s unclear yet how such a deal would work out or if a development would disturb the park grounds or the soccer or ballfields. It is also unclear whether a med school complex would face Lincoln, Vann, or the Lloyd Expressway.

Roberts Stadium Site
This might be the best option to pitch the IU board. Its proximity to St. Mary’s, two recreational areas (Wesselman Woods and the State Hospital Grounds), the Lloyd Expressway, and the University of Evansville would make it a good location which would also be central to east and west side medical facilities. In addition, the City already owns the property and it’s already cleared for development. It would have the added benefit of saving taxpayers the estimated $1.5 million to complete a dog and skate park at this location.