The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to repeal part of 2010's Affordable Care Act that established a committee to track whether Medicare spending is on target or over budget, according to House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI).
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 established the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a group to which Congress and the president would name IPAB committee members who would then produce an annual report that outlines whether Medicare spending is on target or over budget. The first report would be issued in 2014, and IPAB's recommendations would go into effect in January 2015.
In a bipartisan vote, the House passed H.R. 5, the "Protecting Access to Healthcare Act," which repeals the IPAB. In a statement, Rep. Camp urged the Senate to follow suit, stating that the law was a "power grab" that would "threaten seniors' access" to healthcare.
