Senator Evan Bayh is touting his efforts to kill a tax on medical devices as part of the Senate health reform bill.

Listen:


The Democrat says the initial $40 billion, 10-year tax would have put about 63,000 good-paying Hoosier jobs at risk.

Bayh says he secured a $20 billion reduction on the proposed levy during negotiations -- the largest single drop secured for any industry in the bill to be debated after Thanksgiving.

Bayh cites tens of thousand of workers in communities including Indianapolis, Bloomington, Warsaw, Spencer and Plainfield who work for companies like Boston Scientific and Medtronic.

The industry that makes wheelchairs, pacemakers and other medical devices launched a lobbying blitz to kill the tax on its products.

The iniital plan did not include most personal health care products such as toothbrushes or reading glasses, but affected for more expensive items, including glucose monitors and electric scooters.

Contact lenses that cost more than $100 would have also been taxed.