The Independent Payment Advisory Board — or IPAB, for short — is a 15-person board created by the Affordable Care Act. It is arguably one of the more controversial parts of Obamacare because it gives unelected officials the authority to cut Medicare spending. What the board can’t do is equally important: the IPAB is not allowed to cut benefits out of the Medicare program. The board is only allowed to reduce the amount that the federal government reimburses for those benefits.
The IPAB doesn’t have any members right now because it only gets triggered when Medicare costs grow a percentage point faster than the rest of the economy. Health costs are currently growing at a slower rate than that threshold. Congress does have the authority to override IPAB’s recommendations, but does need a supermajority to do so.
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What is Obamacare?
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What does Obamacare do?
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Who gets health insurance through Obamacare?
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What is a health insurance marketplace?
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What is the individual mandate?
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Can I buy Obamacare right now?
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What happens to pre-existing conditions under Obamacare?
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What medical services does Obamacare cover?
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What is a health insurance subsidy?
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Is Obamacare available in all states?
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Will Obamacare cover all of the uninsured?
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What is the conservative case against Obamacare?
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How much does Obamacare cost the government?
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Is Obamacare popular?
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Will Obamacare get repealed?
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Does Obamacare change the care hospitals and doctors provide?
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Has Obamacare caused overcrowding in hospitals and doctors’ offices?