Roskam Floor Speech in Support of IPAB Repeal

WASHINGTON – Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (IL-06) gave the following remarks yesterday on the House Floor in support of legislation to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). To watch, click here or the image below.

Transcript:

Thank you Madam Chairman. Mr. Chairman, thank you for yielding. Madam Chairman did you notice something? The gentlemen from Oregon - I took a note and I’m kind of paraphrasing - but he was basically arguing from the other side of the aisle that IPAB, this cost control board, will basically never come into play as long as Congress does its job.

During the healthcare hearing that we had in the Ways and Means Committee, the gentlemen from Wisconsin on the other side of the aisle characterized IPAB as a leap of faith. 

Now we just heard from the gentlemen from Texas, who acknowledged it’s not the best solution, but let’s stick with it. Well here’s the problem with sticking with this failed solution Madam Chairman: they're asking seniors to bear the brunt of this.

We had a witness, an expert witness Madam Chairman who came into the Ways and Means Committee, and I posed this question to him. The bill says there can’t be rationing [per se], but can there be rationing? In other words, if coverage is denied based on cost is that rationing? He said, “Absolutely Congressman."

So think about what the other side of the aisle is asking. Take a leap of faith, a leap of blind faith that somehow Congress is going to come up with the remedy and that seniors are not going to be held at risk.

The gentlemen from Texas said we’re only here criticizing things, let me tell him Madam Chairman what we are for. We’re for the repeal IPAB. We’re for the repeal of something that is going to put such downward pressure on seniors, it will make people’s heads spin.

What we’ve got to do is make sure we put remedies in place that empower seniors, that create patient-centered healthcare and don’t deny care and put more out of pocket costs on the backs of seniors. We can’t repeal this thing fast enough. We need to vote “aye” and get this thing done. I yield back.