AdvaMed continues pressure on White House to exempt devices from tariffs

Original from: MEDTECHDIVE

AdvaMed and nine other healthcare organizations have continued to pressure the White House to exempt medical devices and critical supplies from the Trump administration’s ongoing tariff saga.

AdvaMed, one of the largest medical device industry groups, and organizations including the American Dental Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges and America’s Essential Hospitals sent a letter on April 1 to Jamieson Greer, the White House’s top trade negotiator. They outlined multiple concerns about the effects tariffs will have on the healthcare industry, such as disrupting the supply chain and increasing costs of devices and dental equipment.

“This ultimately places further financial pressure on providers, hospitals, and health systems,” the letter stated, “particularly those located in rural and medically underserved areas.”

AdvaMed posted the letter on its website Monday.

“We are also concerned that increased costs on medical and dental supplies could impede our ability to improve treatment outcomes, foster innovation, and meet the growing needs of pediatric and adult populations,” the groups wrote. The result, they added, could be longer wait times, reduced healthcare access and increased pressure on providers, some of which are already struggling financially.

As President Donald Trump continues with his unflinching tariff strategy — which has upended markets, sent manufacturers scrambling to reshore operations, forced companies to navigate confusing on-again-off-again actions and prompted retaliatory tariffs from countries such as China — healthcare groups are lobbying the administration to exempt critical medical supplies.

AdvaMed and the American Hospital Association pushed for exemptions before Trump’s sweeping tariff plan was announced last week — but they have so far been unsuccessful.

In the letter to Greer, the healthcare groups cited a survey of 200 industry professionals conducted by Black Book Market Research that found 80% expect costs for hospitals and health systems to go up by at least 15% in the next six months due to increased import costs.

“We respectfully request that medical and dental supplies, equipment, and devices are made exempt from tariffs to prevent further escalation of health care costs and ensure patient accessibility to these products,” the groups said in closing, stressing that they are willing to work with the Trump administration.

Source: AdvaMed continues pressure on White House to exempt devices from tariffs