Tariffs – International Trade Policy

Key Points+Background↓ Recent Activity↓ HIDA Resources+Articles↓

Outlook

On June 20, 2018, the USTR announced a final list of tariffs which applied to 818 out of the 1,333 products that were included on the original proposed list. A 25% tariff on these products went into effect as of July 6th, 2018. In a notice published on August 16, 2018, the USTR determined to take additional action and add 25% tariffs to another list of products, which went into effect on August 23, 2018. Then, on September 17, 2018, the USTR finalized tariffs on approximately $200 billion of Chinese imports. The tariffs went into effect on September 24, 2018, initially to be in the amount of 10%.

With the help of its members, HIDA was initially able to remove 120 products across all three lists, including syringes, medical gloves, hospital bedsheets and certain wipes. On May 17, 2019, the USTR issued a Request for Comments Concerning Proposed Modification of Action. The result was a proposed Fourth List of products for up to 25% tariffs. A number of items which had previously been removed from earlier lists were returned to the Fourth List including gloves, gowns, wipes, and others. HIDA submitted comments and testified at the hearings. USTR has since published two lists to implement at 10% tariff on product. List 4A will go into effect on September 1, 2019 and List 4B will go into effect on December 15, 2019. USTR has announced there will be an exemption process for items included on Lists 4A and 4B.

The USTR published a process for seeking exemptions from the tariffs—the determinations will be on a product by product basis and final decisions on exemptions will be published periodically. HIDA Government Affairs published an FAQ that details the USTR exclusion process and is available on this page.

Recent Activity

HIDA comments to USTR about the impact of Section 301 updates on the COVID-19 response– June 2020 (PDF)

Senator Gardner Letter to Ambassador Lighthizer– Feb 27, 2020 (PDF)

Key Points Members Need to Know

The inclusion of healthcare products in the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Section 301 proposed tariff policy will increase the cost of delivering quality and efficient healthcare in the United States and hinder our country’s ability to prepare and respond to public health events.

• ➤ A significant number of medical products critical to everyday procedures, lifesaving surgeries, as well as products used for broad public health preparedness efforts are made outside of the United States
•  
• ➤It is important for both Congress and the Administration to understand the complexities of the U.S. healthcare supply chain, so tariffs and trade policies do not create unintentional supply chain disruptions and product shortages

Background

On April 4th, 2018, the Administration released a list of Chinese imports subject to a new, 25% tariff as a result of an investigation conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The new Section 301 tariffs apply to over 1,300 Chinese imports. Among those listed are a number of products that healthcare providers rely on to conduct ongoing healthcare procedures and respond to public health events.

HIDA compiled a FAQ outlining the tariff exclusion process and continues to be involved, testifying to USTR on behalf of the healthcare distribution supply chain.