60 Plus Jim Martin, “All eyes on Senate to see if they will continue to embrace Obamacare.“
(Alexandria, Virginia) – By a vote of 223 to 181, the House today voted to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), part of President Obama’s health care law set to take effect in 2014. All but 10 Republicans supported repeal, while all but 7 Democrats opposed.
Polls have shown most seniors strongly oppose IPAB and favor its repeal because it would be given authority to make funding policy for Medicare that could lead to rationing, a near certainty given that Congress, the only body with the power to overrule IPAB, is unlikely to ever muster the ‘super-majority’ vote needed to trump IPAB’s recommendations.
Said 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, “Today President Obama’s health care law of the bureaucrat, by the bureaucrat, and for the bureaucrat took a direct hit. On behalf of the 7.1 million senior supporters of 60 Plus, I applaud the 223 members of the House of Representatives, including 7 Democrats, who had the courage to take action to stop this grave injustice waiting to happen.
“There are over 390 grassroots organizations who worked to inform the American people that IPAB would be the death-knell for Medicare as we know it. Putting the most crucial decisions concerning the health care of America’s seniors in the hands of 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats is akin to hiring 15 pallbearers to escort Medicare to the grave. Government doesn’t know best, and can’t do its job behind closed doors with bureaucrats controlling the lives of seniors with a ‘one size fits all’ agenda.
“Democrats have defended the board as a way to cut Medicare costs, which they are eager to do given their need to find revenue to support their vote for Obamacare. More than $500 billion was cut from Medicare in order to fund the President’s health care law in 2010 under Democrat rule. Now we will find out if the Democrat-controlled Senate will listen to the voice of their constituents and support IPAB repeal, or continue to embrace this disastrous health care law.”
-30-
