WASHINGTON, DC (October 19, 2017): The Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC) – a coalition of employers, insurers, brokers, agents, patient groups, and physician organizations – today urged swift, simultaneous passage of legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) and to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which has operated without Congressional authorization since September 30, 2017.
CAHC President Joel White released the following statement:
“Every day that IPAB remains on the books and CHIP remains unauthorized is a day that access to health care is threatened for two of our most deserved, vulnerable populations: children and seniors. IPAB remains a ticking time-bomb, preparing to enact sweeping, draconian cuts to Medicare reimbursement that would leave older Americans holding the bag, while a failure to allocate funding for CHIP would rip away coverage altogether from some nine million children – a callousness that is simply unimaginable,” said CAHC President Joel White. “Solutions to these challenges have long earned widespread, bipartisan support, yet they have been needlessly slow-walked for reasons of pure politics. It’s time for Washington to take action on both of these fronts – together. We urge Congress to move forward by tying CHIP funding to IPAB repeal and sending this measure to the President’s desk without delay.”
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Background:
The Council for Affordable Health Coverage (CAHC) is a broad-based alliance with a primary focus: bringing down the cost of health care for all Americans. CAHC promotes policies that lower health costs through increased competition, informed consumers and more choices to help promote access to affordable coverage. Learn more at CAHC.net.