Thank You Congressman Cole

I have noticed that when our members of Congress fail to support issues important to us or support ones we dislike, we have no problem publicly chastising them.  As Americans, this is our right, and I am grateful we live in a country where we can speak out without fear of reprisal.  However, I wonder if we spend the same amount of time thanking them when they vote in ways we agree with.

Congressman Tom Cole, who represents us in Ardmore, recently voted to support a bill which removes the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) from the Affordable Care Act (ACA).   You may not have heard of IPAB, but likely you have heard the ACA contains a provision for a “death panel,” which is how the IPAB has been labeled.  While the IPAB has never actually been used to this point, it is intended to control the growth of Medicare.  Board members would be charged with making savings recommendations if Medicare spending exceeded a certain amount.  The fear is that IPAB would begin to ration healthcare and restrict benefits, especially to the elderly and most vulnerable among us.  In other words, they would determine who lives and who dies.

Even scarier, the way the provision is worded in the ACA, the US Department of Health and Human Services is essentially required to implement them.  An unelected board of faceless bureaucrats given the daunting power to restrict and potentially ration healthcare is a frightening proposition and one that Congress should repeal.

Congressman Cole, along with 243 other members of Congress, voted to repeal IPAB, which passed the House of Representatives last month.  The issue is now before the U.S. Senate, and we do not yet know if the Senate has the votes to pass the repeal.  

Thank you Congressman Cole for your leadership on this and many other important issues!0