Posted by Tina
In a surprisingly bipartisan fashion the House of Representatives voted to repeal the death panel provision in Obamacare, according to The American Spectator:
Late Thursday afternoon the House of Representatives voted 307-111 to repeal one of Obamacare’s most dangerous provisions. A bipartisan coalition of 231 Republicans and 76 Democrats passed the Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act of 2017 (H.R. 849), a bill sponsored by Tennessee Republican Phil Roe and California Democrat Raul Ruiz that would abolish the controversial Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).
IPAB was ostensibly created to control Medicare costs, but it won’t address cost at all. It will inevitably devolve into a rationing board that uses abstemious provider payments (i.e. price controls) to prevent seniors from receiving the benefit of lifesaving procedures and drugs. The model for IPAB is the UK’s National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE), which uses a ghoulish form of cost benefit analysis to determine who receives care and who doesn’t.
It’s extraordinary in this fractured atmosphere to see 76 Democrats vote with Republicans on anything much less the repeal of a portion of Obamacare. We are entering the election season, however, and Democrats know deep down that Obamacare was a flawed product. Complete repeal failed this year. Given that, some of it’s elements are bound to remain. I guess repealing one of the worst parts is better than nuttin’!
If Clowngress had the stones, they’d do a straight repeal of Obumblecare with the ending date 3-6 months in the future. Then, folks who WANTED to obtain health insurance could go shopping for plans that fit themselves instead of a goofernment-mandated catchall plan that has failed to do anything that it promised!