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June 16, 2015 at 12:00 PM
The House is preparing to debate several Medicare bills on the floor this week.
Two of the more controversial bills that could come up within the next few days include H.R. 160, which would repeal the medical device excise tax included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), and H.R. 1190, which would kill the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), according to a schedule posted by the office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
PPACA drafters created IPAB in an effort to establish a mechanism for helping Medicare program managers adjust the prices Medicare pays for services such as primary care and various types of specialty care.
Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., is the lead sponsor of H.R. 160, and Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., is the lead sponsor of H.R. 1190.
The House is considering both H.R. 160 and H.R. 1190 as bills that face significant opposition, but medical device excise tax repeal has received strong support from some Democrats.
IPAB repeal has also enjoyed some Democratic support. Howard Dean, a former Democratic presidential contender, has argued that IPAB is a “health care rationing body.”
