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POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

House Should Not Repeal IPAB and Rescind Prevention Funding

The House is expected to vote this afternoon on repealing health reform’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) — a presidentially appointed commission charged with developing ways to slow the growth of Medicare spending.  Repealing IPAB would restrict efforts to contain health care costs and would put Medicare beneficiaries at greater risk of benefit cuts, as we have previously explained.

Repealing IPAB would cost an estimated $7 billion over the next ten years, and the House bill would offset that cost by slashing funding for health reform’s prevention and public health fund.  The prevention fund supports critical investments to improve health outcomes in areas such as immunizing children, reducing tobacco use, responding to infectious diseases, and preventing cancers, strokes, diabetes, and obesity.  The American Lung Association, American Heart Association, American Public Health Association, and many other national organizations oppose the proposed cuts to the prevention fund.