The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) is urging the Trump administration to exempt medical imaging devices and technology from the recently enacted China Section 301 tariffs.
“These tariffs on imaging products or their components will harm the American medical technology sector’s ability to stay competitive and will adversely affect the U.S. economy in ways that could compromise patient access to care,” said Patrick Hope, executive director of MITA, in a July 6 statement. “Though the administration has stated that it will implement an exemption process, we have not yet seen any information about how or when it will do so. Policymakers should act quickly to ensure that patient access to innovative life-saving technology is not compromised.”
The tariffs officially went into effect Friday, July 6, kicking off a trade war that has been steadily gaining international attention since its imposition by President Donald Trump. The 25 percent tariffs have been imposed on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports.
A MITA survey conducted in May, which comprising more than 90 percent of the global market for medical imaging technology, found the tariffs are estimated to cost American imaging device makers more than $138 million this year and affect the production of CT scanner and x-ray devices, according to the news release.
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.