House votes to kill Medicare payment advisory board

The Republican-controlled House passed a bill Thursday to eliminate the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board created by the new healthcare law created two years ago.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the 15-member IPAB would have had the authority to cut $575 billion from Medicare over 10 years through rationing and price controls. Republican opponents have derided the board as a “rationing panel,” while opposing Democrats expressed concern that the board would take away legislative control over Medicare. But Republicans lost Democratic support when they added components such as medical malpractice reform, according to news reports.

Congressional supporters and opponents of the law previewed arguments that will be made next week when the Supreme Court hears a challenge to its constitutionality filed by 26 states, reported The New York Times.

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