A two-year suspension of the medical device excise tax should help the U.S. medical device market over the next few years, according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. The 2.3 percent tax on domestic sales of medical devices was implemented in 2013 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The tax was suspended on Dec. 18, 2015, when President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016. Originally implemented to generate around $30 billion in funds to support the Affordable Care Act, the tax was imposed on the assumption that greater access to health care coverage would create a larger market for medical devices. However, the first half of 2013 saw the tax raising only 60 percent of the expected amount. GlobalData believes a permanent repeal of the act would provide further relief to small and mid-sized companies that were struggling under its weight over the past three years.