Congress passes budget bill, cuts IPAB funding

The U.S. Senate passed an omnibus spending bill, the $1.1 trillion Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83), on Saturday. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.

The bill would cut $10 million in 2015 funding for the Independent Payment Advisory Board. IPAB was established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and has the authority to recommend steps to cut Medicare costs if spending exceeds specific triggers. The board's recommendations would go into force automatically unless Congress overruled them by a two-thirds vote and enacted other cuts of equivalent size. ...