18^th District Congressman Bob Gibbs says he’s continuing to support efforts to protect American jobs and innovation.
 
Gibbs says the Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 2012, also known as H.R. 436, was recently passed by Congress.
 
He says the measure repealed a medical device tax, which he says would have increased health care costs, reduced patient access to new technologies and cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs.  
 
            
 
Gibbs says the medical device tax, included in the Affordable Care Act, would have imposed a 2.3% tax on medical device manufacturers beginning in 2013.
 
In Ohio, he says about 20,000 workers are employed by medical-device and equipment manufacturers and says more than 80% of those companies are small businesses, employing 50 people or less.
 
            
 
On a similar note, the Supreme Court is expected to decide the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act this week.
 
Gibbs says his first vote in Congress was to repeal the measure.
 
            
 
Gibbs says he understands that the health care discussion in the country needs to continue and says he’s committed to proactively developing and passing solutions that promote the affordability, accessibility and quality of medicine.