GOP Representative Unveils Bill to Repeal PPACA's Cost-Cutting Board

Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) has introduced a bill that would repeal President Obama's Independent Payment Advisory Board — a 15-member cost-cutting board established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a report by The Hill.

Rep. Herger, who is the retiring chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, proposes replacing the IPAB with several Medicare reform measures, such as means-testing benefits, enforcing a higher eligibility age and allowing private health plans to participate in the program.

Rep. Herger's attempt to axe the IPAB is not the first. In March, the House of Representatives approved legislation to repeal IPAB by a 223-181 vote, but a parallel bill failed to move through the Senate.

Beginning in 2015, the IPAB will make recommendations on how to reduce Medicare spending. Those recommendations will automatically go into effect unless Congress doesn't agree with them. If that's the case, Congress is required to devise and pass its own cuts of equal size.

Members of the board, which are President-appointed and Senate-confirmed, have not yet been named. There is also some concern over whether the board will even exist, as the appointment process is vulnerable to GOP filibusters, according to the report.

More Articles on IPAB:

Rep. Eric Cantor Leads GOP's Second Effort to Repeal IPAB
Congressman Requests CBO Study Physician Pay Fix's Impact on IPAB Cuts
House Approves IPAB Repeal

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