Pawlenty Cites $20B Device Tax in Opposition to Healthcare Reform

Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has sent a letter to the state delegation urging its members to vote down healthcare reform in the coming days, citing the $20 billion medical device tax included in the legislation.

The letter was penned to Democrat Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken; and Democrat Reps. Tim Walz, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison and Collin Peterson; and Republicans John Kline, Erik Paulsen, Michele Bachmann and James Oberstar.

“I am hopeful that the U.S. House will defeat the current bloated, expensive, government-centric health care proposal and instead work in a truly bipartisan manner to enact much needed heath care reforms that are market-driven, patient-centered, and quality-focused,” the governor wrote.

Minnesota is home to several large medical device OEMs, including Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific Corp.