Preserving Medicare for America's Seniors 6.20.15

Dear Friend,

Next week, my conservative colleagues and I will vote to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) in Obamacare, often called the “Death Panel,” and to preserve Medicare for America’s seniors. This panel, hand-selected by the president, is tasked with recommending cuts to Medicare without congressional input. If health care spending gets too high, IPAB is charged with deciding which care to prioritize and which care to cut. Obamacare gave IPAB unprecedented power with no accountability, no judicial review, and no transparency requirements.

This panel moves America away from a patient-centered health care model and replaces it with the views of unelected bureaucrats. The panel’s recommendations automatically become law unless a super majority of Congress agrees to make cuts elsewhere. This process alone raises constitutional questions. Obamacare created a panel to push a one-size-fits-all solution from Washington, instead of giving you and your doctor the freedom to make these deeply personal decisions.

If IPAB cuts Medicare, seniors will have a more difficult time getting access to care. It is unacceptable to decrease benefits to individuals who have worked so hard and paid into Medicare for so long. I am not going to let IPAB ration care, trample the Constitution, and disregard the well-being of America’s seniors. The time to act is now, before the panel is selected and care is impacted. That’s why I support repealing the Independent Payment Advisory Board before it comes to fruition.

I am still working toward a full repeal of Obamacare, but President Obama will never admit what a complete failure this law has been since its inception. In the meantime, repealing Obama’s Death Panel is a way to protect America’s seniors.

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

This week I had the honor of welcoming veterans from our area to D.C. These WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam veterans made the trip to D.C. to visit their memorials. It was especially moving to see kids visiting the memorial on vacation stop and thank the veterans for their service. We are so grateful for all they have sacrificed.

This week members of the Missouri Beta Club visited my office in Washington, D.C. It was great being able to meet these promising students and learn more about their organization.

SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE

My thoughts and prayers are with my constituents dealing with flooding around the district. Follow any alerts in your area by visiting the National Weather Service in Springfield at http://www.weather.gov/sgf/. For a list of road closures, visit MoDOT’s website, www.travel.modot.org. Stay safe out there!

Sincerely,

Jason Smith
Member of Congress