New Year Brings New Obamacare Taxes

Medical device research is expected to be especially hard hit by the levies

The third wave of ObamaCare taxes began on January 1, the latest blitz before the tsunami of changes from the health overhaul law hit in 2014.  These new and higher taxes are being levied to partially pay for ObamaCare's massive new subsidies for private health insurance and expansion of Medicaid.

The most controversial of the latest ObamaCare taxes is the Medical Device Tax that hits entrepreneurial firms making equipment such as heart valves and hip replacement parts. They face a 2.3% profit on gross sales – a tax they must pay even if they have no profit at all.  Many firms say this tax – slated to collect $29 billion over 10 years – will soak up virtually all of their research budgets.