Liberals such as those who inflicted the inaccurately named “Affordable Care Act” on Americans are fond of insisting they want to tax only “the rich.”

But injuries and illnesses strike us all, rich or poor, and often, we count on technology to help us recover. The ACA’s authors, in writing what they hoped would be an unnoticed tax into the law, were counting on that.

A 2.3 percent excise tax on many medical devices, ranging from ultrasound machines to heart pacemakers, is included in the ACA. Though the law’s advocates claim the money will be paid only by manufacturers, that is an insult to our intelligence.

Members of Congress were concerned enough to suspend the tax for a few years — but that stops at the end of this month.

If the tax is collected, it will make health care more expensive for virtually everyone, in addition to stifling innovation in health care technology.

Congress should simply repeal the tax, along with the rest of “Obamacare.” The ACA has been detrimental to too many Americans — of all income levels — for too long. It should be replaced.