Rigell Defends Seniors, Medicare Votes to Repeal IPAB

Press Release

Today the House of Representatives passed, and Congressman Scott Rigell (VA-02) supported, H.R. 1190, the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015. The legislation will restore the doctor-patient relationship by repealing the controversial Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which is a panel of government bureaucrats that determine access to treatments and services for Medicare patients. This bill has more than 230 bipartisan cosponsors, including Rigell.

Congressman Rigell, a consistent and vocal opponent of the President's health care law said, "Among my many concerns with the Affordable Care Act is that it created the IPAB and put the federal government between Americans and their doctors. Not only is this board intrusive and capable of rationing care to our seniors, it is immune to our nation's most basic system of legislative checks and balances."

The IPAB, which was created by the ACA, is comprised of 15 members appointed by the President tasked with making major healthcare decisions for seniors, which are likely to severely limit their access to treatments and services. Further, once the Secretary of Health and Human Services implements an IPAB recommendation, that action does not require additional administrative or judicial review. H.R. 1190, the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act, would repeal the IPAB entirely.

Rigell continued: "We have a deep moral obligation to our seniors to ensure they receive quality, affordable health care. I was proud to support this bipartisan legislation today."

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