Key Vote Alert! Letter to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Supporting H.R. 849, the "Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2017"

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports H.R. 849, the “Protecting Seniors’

Access to Medicare Act of 2017,” which would repeal the Independent Payment

Advisory Board (IPAB) created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

(PPACA).

The Chamber may consider votes on, or in relation to, H.R. 849 in

our annual

How They Voted

scorecard.

The IPAB is a commission with the unprecedented authority to make

recommendations to cut Medicare spending by reducing reimbursement rates if the

growth rate of spending exceeds the target rate. If Congress does not implement

spending cuts equal to the amount recommended by the IPAB, the IPAB’s

recommendations automatically take effect with no administrative or judicial review.

In addition to setting a dangerous precedent for superseding the conventional

legislative process, the IPAB decisions would potentially lead to arbitrary cuts in the

Medicare program. If reimbursement rates to Medicare providers are inadequate, this

would shift costs onto private payers and consumers while also limiting patient access

to care and innovative therapies.

Instead of focusing on improving healthcare and implementing delivery system

reforms to address cost and quality issues in healthcare, the IPAB’s likely focus on

simply reducing provider payment rates would preclude a constructive dialogue about

Medicare modernization and meaningful spending reform.

The Chamber applauds efforts to repeal the IPAB and urges the House of

Representatives to approve this legislation.

Sincerely,

Jack Howard

Senior Vice President

Congressional and Public Affairs