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Congressional roll call: How WNC reps voted
(Source – www.citizen-times.com)
Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
Repealing Medicare Advisory Board: The House has passed the Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act (H.R. 1190), sponsored by Rep. David P. Roe, R-Tenn. The bill would repeal provisions of the health care reform law that established the Independent Payment Advisory Board for overseeing Medicare spending. Roe said the board would have too much power to change Medicare policy without oversight from the president, courts, or Congress. Roe predicted that the board “will ration seniors’ access to care through a one-size-fits-all payment policy” that does not consider the individual circumstances of Medicare enrollees. A bill opponent, Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., called the board a necessary measure to contain Medicare costs and improve Medicare’s sustainability for decades to come. The vote, on June 23, was 244 yeas to 154 nays. Read more…