Rep. Allyson Schwartz (PA), the most outspoken Democratic supporter of the GOP’s effort to repeal the Medicare cost-cutting Independent Payment Advisory Board, tore into Republicans on Monday for proposing to pay for it with medical malpractice reform.
In a statement to TPM sent via a spokesperson, she warned that the “partisan” pay-for will cost the GOP Dem vote and guarantee defeat.
“Unfortunately, Republican Leadership is manipulating the dialogue on this issue for political purposes, which will undoubtedly lead many Democratic Members to vote against the bill – despite support for the underlying policy from House Democrats across the ideological spectrum,” Schwartz told TPM. “By unnecessarily tying repeal of IPAB to a partisan malpractice bill, House Republicans have effectively ensured that this bill is dead. This is deeply disappointing.”
Medical malpractice reform has long been a poison bill for Democrats and even some Republicans who want to leave malpractice damage caps to states.
