The groups are urging the US Trade Representative to exempt medical and dental devices from tariffs, citing cost increases and threats to care access.
AdvaMed and nine other health care organizations are urging an exemption from tariffs for medical and dental supplies, equipment, and devices, citing concerns about increased costs resulting in supply chain disruptions.
In a letter addressed to US Trade Representative Jameison Greer, the organizations noted that increased costs tied to tariffs could disproportionately impact hospitals, particularly those serving rural and medically underserved communities. They cited data from the American Hospital Association showing that 136 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2021, and a separate report indicating that 700 more are currently at risk of closure due to financial problems.
“Given the important role of our work in making America healthy, we are concerned that tariffs placed on medical and dental equipment threaten to disrupt the supply chain and raise costs for these critical items. This ultimately places further financial pressure on providers, hospitals, and health systems, particularly those located in rural and medically underserved areas,” the groups wrote to US Trade Representative Jameison Greer.
Cost and Innovation Concerns
The groups also expressed concern that higher equipment costs could hinder innovation and lead to longer wait times and reduced access to treatment. They pointed to a Black Book Market Research survey in which 80% of 200 industry professionals said they expected hospital and health system costs to increase by at least 15% within six months due to higher import costs.
In addition to AdvaMed, the letter was signed by the American Dental Association, the American Association for Homecare, America’s Essential Hospitals, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Conquering CHD, Health Industry Distributors Association, the Preeclampsia Foundation, Prevent Cancer, and the Sepsis Alliance.
The groups wrote that they welcome continued engagement with the administration to ensure policies support access to care and affordability across the US healthcare system.
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