While we are waiting for the King v. Burwell verdict, which could repeal large sections of Obamacare, the house of representatives has already approved rolling back some ACA provisions. Modern Healthcare reports:
Lawmakers postponed final passage of the proposed Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act despite a majority voting in favor of the bill. The measure would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a 15-member body of outside experts established by the Affordable Care Act to propose recommendations to control Medicare spending growth.
Not only did a vote to repeal IPAB get approved, but lawmakers also approved a bill to repeal the medical device tax. MedPageToday reports:
The House voted 280-140 to repeal the medical device tax, a 2.3% excise tax charged to the makers and importers of artificial hips, pacemakers and other medical equipment. Now, the debate moves to the Senate where passage of the Protect Medical Innovation Act, the repeal bill’s official title, is much less certain.
The medical device tax was implemented in 2013, and is expected to yield $26 to $30 billion in revenues over the next decade, which will be used to help finance other aspects of the Affordable Care Act, namely healthcare expansion.
Although the core tenets of the Affordable Care Act–subsidies for low-income individuals and the creation of health insurance exchanges–is still intact, the ACA’s provisions are clearly no longer set in stone.