{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr849-115/featured_protecting-seniors-access-to-medicare-act-1509717749.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr849-115/featured_large_protecting-seniors-access-to-medicare-act-1509717749.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr849-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-02-03","title_override":"Should Congress Eliminate the Obamacare Board that Suggests Medicare Cuts?","summary_override":"

This bill would repeal sections of the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) that established an Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — the group responsible for thinking of proposals to reduce Medicare spending. It would also restore the legal provisions that were repealed to create the IPAB.

The IPAB is a 15-member panel that recommends ways to keep Medicare spending from growing at a faster rate than the targets set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). So, for example, the IPAB would try to reduce projected Medicare spending by 1.25 percent in 2017 and 1.5 percent in 2018 and beyond. IPAB is only triggered when CMS predicts Medicare won’t hit those spending targets and Congress doesn’t act to meet them. That currently isn’t expected to happen until 2021, so IPAB isn’t operational at the moment.

","official_title":"To repeal the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act providing for the Independent Payment Advisory Board.","short_title":"Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on October 31, 2017. The summary of that version is repeated here.)\n\nProtecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act\n\nThis bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to terminate the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Under PPACA, the IPAB is tasked with developing proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A current CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Seniors enrolled in Medicare and their families that’d be affected by cuts to Medicare; Congress; CMS; and the IPAB.","argument_for":"The IPAB was a terrible idea. They are an unelected panel that recommend spending cuts based on an arbitrary scale. It has too much power — if Congress doesn’t pass legislation meeting their reduction rates — Medicare spending is automatically cut.","argument_against":"Medicare spending needs to be reined in one way or another, it's increasing every year at an unsustainable rate. 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Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.\r\n","page_title":"Aging Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/aging/black_aging-1432751641.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/aging/grey_aging-1432751641.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/aging/white_aging-1432751641.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"health","name":"Health","slug":"health","description":"Federal legislation around Health, encompassing: the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Research into diseases (Cancer, HIV/Aids, Ebola), Drug safety, Hospital care and prescription drugs.","page_title":"Health Related US Federal legislation, including Medicare, ACA, and research - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/black_health-1429042037.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/grey_health-1429042037.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/white_health-1429042037.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Gregory","vote_count":134,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/OWlYz2aZ/following","followers":"/api/users/OWlYz2aZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":12,"is_following":null,"influence_score":40,"influence_level":10,"follower_count":1,"following_count":1,"position_count":51,"id":"OWlYz2aZ","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"e36d0719-1a5c-4a3b-a8c1-8d6335bb5757","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"If it works, why get rid of it?","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/e36d0719-1a5c-4a3b-a8c1-8d6335bb5757"},"body":"If it works, why get rid of it?","stance":"nay","created_at":"2017-11-02T23:50:31.479Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/e36d0719-1a5c-4a3b-a8c1-8d6335bb5757.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr849-115","user_id":"OWlYz2aZ","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Should Congress Eliminate the Obamacare Board that Suggests Medicare Cuts?