The number-two Senate Republican introduced a bill Thursday to repeal the Obamacare advisory board that critics had labeled a “death panel.”
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, has introduced a resolution and legislation to repeal the automatic implementation of the Independent Payment Advisory Board’s annual proposal, which was intended to help reduce Medicare costs through recommendations aimed at achieving savings.
Opponents of the IPAB have long labeled it a death panel, arguing that the board would be forced to make cuts under a Medicare spending cap imposed under the Affordable Care Act. Cornyn’s resolution would restrict “the decision-making power of the unelected IPAB board members.”
Legislation to repeal the IPAB passed the House in 2015 but never gained traction in the Senate, where Democrats would have likely filibustered the measure.
“Obamacare created a board of unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats to make health care decisions on behalf of American families and seniors,” Cornyn said Thursday.
President Obama never attempted to fill IPAB’s 15 board seats, in part because that would have required the unlikely approval of House Republicans, who have held the majority since 2011.
The Medicare Board of Trustees said last year the Medicare cap could be reached in 2017, which would trigger the need for cost cutting.
