As health law's fate becomes more clear, insurers, medical device makers try to stem new taxes

Insurers and medical device makers are planning ad campaigns and intense lobbying to try to stop taxes in the health law from cutting at their bottom lines.

Bloomberg: Humana Says Trade Groups Plan Ad Campaign Against Insurer Tax
Humana Inc. (HUM), the second-biggest provider of Medicare health plans, said business groups plan an advertising campaign to get lawmakers to ease new taxes in President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul. Stop the HIT, a Washington-based coalition of trade groups, will start the effort during the lame-duck congressional session this year, Heidi Margulis, Humana's senior vice president for public affairs, told analysts during an investor conference today. Changes to the taxes will be "on the table" as part of talks to cut the U.S. budget deficit, she said (Nussbaum, 11/13).

CQ HealthBeat: Medical Device Manufacturers Lobby To Repeal Tax
The medical device industry is organizing a lobbying fly-in Thursday to urge lawmakers to repeal the medical device tax that is set to take effect in January. Dozens of CEOs and other executives plan to urge Congress to repeal the 2.3 percent tax. The effort is part of a broad campaign to kill the tax. The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) also plans to release a paper Wednesday that will show how much the new tax will add to the tax burden on manufacturers (Adams, 11/13).

Politico Pro: Medical Device-Makers Push Back Against Tax
Executives from medical device firms are planning to blitz the Hill on Thursday to urge Congress to stave off a 2.3 percent medical device tax set to take effect at the beginning of next year. AdvaMed's top lobbyist, JC Scott, told Politico Influence that a group of more than 50 executives had scheduled about 60 meetings with congressional offices and will meet directly with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The medical device tax, intended as that sector's contribution under the health law for the extra business it will gain through expanded insurance, is among the top targets of ongoing anti-Obamacare efforts (Norman, 11/13).