GOP lawmakers face strategic fits and starts in health law repeal efforts

Meanwhile, as some House Republicans push to undo the measure's cost-cutting panel, known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board, its advocates are springing to its defense.  

The Hill: Senate GOP And Conservative Groups Clash On Health Care Reform Repeal Votes
Senate Republicans are clashing with conservative groups over whether to hold votes this year to repeal all of President Obama's healthcare reform law. One group, the Restore America's Voice Foundation, plans to spend $50,000 to $100,000 per week on television ads pressing Senate Republicans to force a vote on repeal (Bolton, 3/6).

CQ HealthBeat: GOP Finds Way To Swipe At Health Care Overhaul
Since they took control of the House, Republicans have tried several methods of attack to bring down President Obama's signature health care overhaul law. As one of their first acts of the 111th Congress, House Republicans voted to repeal the entire law. Next, they moved a series of separate bills trying to strike down the law one section at a time. And they tried to use the appropriations process to slash funding for the law and its implementation (Ethridge, 3/5).

The Hill: Left Contrasts Health Care Law's IPAB With GOP Medicare Proposals
As a House panel moves to repeal a key cost-cutting panel in the healthcare reform law, Democrats and their allies are drawing a contrast against more aggressive Republican proposals for Medicare. The liberal Center for American Progress released a new report Monday saying the panel -; the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) -; is "essential" to controlling government healthcare spending. And it said the IPAB would be better for seniors than GOP proposals to at least partially privatize the Medicare program (Baker, 3/5).