House Moves Closer to IPAB Repeal Vote
The Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill Tuesday to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, an advisory group created in the health care law to curb Medicare spending. The full House is expected to vote on the legislation as early as the end of March.
Bloomberg: House Panel Approves Repeal of Medicare Board in Health-Care Law
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation that would repeal implementation of an advisory board created to recommend cuts to Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled. Under the 2010 health-care overhaul, the Independent Payment Advisory Board could draft reductions to Medicare payments for doctors, hospitals and other providers without congressional approval. The board would have 15 members selected by the president and confirmed by the Senate; none have been named to the panel (Jamrisko, 3/6).
Kaiser Health News: Health On The Hill: House Moves Closer To IPAB Repeal Vote
Kaiser Health News' Mary Agnes Carey talks with Jackie Judd about the latest movement in the Republican-controlled House to repeal a key part of the health reform law -- the Independent Payment Advisory Board. One House committee passed a repeal of IPAB Tuesday while another held a hearing on it. The full House is expected to vote on a repeal of IPAB as early as the end of March (3/6).
Roll Call: Democrats Willing To Tinker With Health Care Law
House Republicans’ latest attack on the Affordable Care Act isn't expected to go far, but it will show disagreements within the Democratic Caucus as the Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments on the Obama administration’s landmark law later this month. Democrats charge that the division on President Barack Obama’s hallmark legislative accomplishment is old news and dates back to the rigorous debate during the measure’s drafting in 2010. Republicans insist their latest proposal, to scrap a 15-member panel tasked with finding Medicare savings, helps build their case that the entire law should be overturned (Brady, 3/7).
And, in other news from Capitol Hill -
Politico Pro: Sebelius Fields Questions On HHS Financial Management
House Republicans attacked HHS for a series of financial management problems Tuesday, suggesting it can't be trusted with greater responsibilities under health care reform. House labor-HHS appropriations subcommittee Chairman Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) kicked off a hearing with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius by raising what he called "a number of financial management issues," including 176 contracts — with a total value of $1.4 billion — that violated a law regulating spending by federal agencies (Feder, 3/6).
CQ HealthBeat: Republican Floats Idea of Spending Caps For Medicaid Enrollees
Not every Republican lawmaker wants to upend Medicaid by block-granting federal funds to states for their programs. Rep. Bill Cassidy is shopping around a proposal that instead would set caps for federal Medicaid payments depending on the type of beneficiary and also give bonuses to states for good outcomes. The policy choices in the past for the federal-state program for the poor have been between "nibbling around the edges" to bring about change or simply giving states lump sums to run their programs as they see fit, said Cassidy, a physician who treats uninsured patients when he is in his home state of Louisiana (Norman, 3/6)?
