Republicans Refuse To Appoint Members To New Healthcare Panel, Suggest Repeal Of All Healthcare Reforms
Republican leaders reiterated their discontent with President Obama's healthcare initiatives on Thursday when they informed the President in a letter that they will not recommend appointments to the 15-member Independent Payment Board (IPAB), a panel created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Instead, the GOP wants the entire panel repealed.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) expressed their desire for a repeal of not only the IPAB, but all of the Obama administration's new health care reforms in the very pointed public letter.
The letter read straightforwardly, saying, "We believe Congress should repeal IPAB, just as we believe we ought to repeal the entire healthcare law... We hope establishing this board never becomes a reality, which is why full repeal of the Affordable Care Act remains our goal."
The IPAB is a healthcare panel intended to help achieve Medicare savings, without affecting the quality of the medical coverage. The hope was that allowing Republicans to recommend appointments to the panel would ensure a level of bipartisan input. However, Republican leaders have chosen to use the panel to express their dissatisfaction with the Obama administration's several new health care initiatives set to take effect in January 2014.
President Obama has not nominated anyone for the IPAB so far.