Legislation would repeal unelected Obama-care board tasked with determining who gets care

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler today supported passage of H.R. 849, the Protecting Seniors’ Access to Care Act.  This bill would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), an unelected group of bureaucrats empowered through Obamacare to decide what healthcare options seniors have access to.

“We should not allow Washington to stand in the way of doctors making the best decisions about treatments and medicines for seniors,” Hartzler said. “Seniors should have access to the healthcare they need without being subject to a panel of bureaucrats making health care decisions on their behalf,” added Hartzler, who is a co-sponsor of the bill.

The IPAB was established by Obamacare to submit Medicare spending plans to Congress if Medicare spending went beyond expenditure targets.  While the IPAB has not yet been appointed, it would ultimately allow an unelected 15-member board to have the power to cut Medicare without Congressional review, negatively impacting the health access of more than 55 million seniors. Future IPAB proposals would go into effect automatically, without any input from Congress, or the American people.  Hartzler noted that unless something is done now, IPAB is expected to trigger in 2017, requiring significant reductions to Medicare spending.

The legislation, which is supported by nearly 800 groups representing every state – including patient advocacy groups, physician groups, pharmaceutical companies and others – passed the House in bipartisan fashion and now heads to the Senate for consideration.