Vulnerable Senate Dems don't rule out voting against Obama cost-control board

Several Senate Democrats up for reelection tell The Hill they haven't ruled out bucking President Obama by voting to repeal the health law's cost-control board.

The House is expected to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board next week, putting pressure on the Senate to follow suit. While the bill has broad bipartisan support in the House, no Senate Democrats have so far signed onto repeal legislation despite coming under increasing pressure to do so.

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"We're looking at it, let's put it that way," said Sen. Joe Machin (D-W.Va.). "We'll weigh the pros and cons" if the bill hits the floor.

Sen. Claire McCaskillClaire Conner McCaskillGOP goes on offense with 20-week abortion vote Chaos in Trump world leaves Democrats walking fine line These Democrats will have a hard time keeping their seats in 2018 MORE (D-Mo.), another conservative Democrat in a tight race, said via a spokesman that she would take a  "hard look" at the proposal if it ever came before the Senate.

Sen. Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell BrownDems press Trump for 'Buy American' proposals in infrastructure plan AFL-CIO president: Trump has been a 'disappointment'  Dems rip Trump's Fed pick as Senate panel mulls three key nominees MORE (D-Ohio), a liberal, also declined to rule out voting for repeal.

"I'm not going to answer a what-if question when it's not at all clear what would come up," he said.

McCaskill and Brown are reeling from a $3.5 million ad campaign by the conservative 60 Plus seniors' lobby that also targets Sens. Bill NelsonClarence (Bill) William NelsonGOP senator puts hold on Trump energy nominee Week ahead: EPA chief to face grilling on reg rollback Five hurdles to getting an immigration deal MORE (D-Fla.), Debbie StabenowDeborah (Debbie) Ann StabenowDems press Trump for 'Buy American' proposals in infrastructure plan Kid Rock: Al Franken shouldn't have resigned Michigan State president resigns amid sexual abuse scandal MORE (D-Mich.) and Jon TesterJonathan (Jon) TesterThese Democrats will have a hard time keeping their seats in 2018 Dems sour on shutdown tactics Schumer comes under fire over funding deal MORE (D-Mont.).

Senators are also hearing from a wide array of powerful stakeholder groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, that are lobbying hard to get the board nixed.

The intense lobbying is putting Obama's deficit-cutting efforts at risk. The IPAB is one of the few provisions of the healthcare reform law that has the potential to cut federal healthcare spending, by recommending cuts to Medicare provider payments if costs start to grow too fast.

Obama, as part of his $3 trillion deficit-reduction plan last year, called for strengthening the IPAB by allowing it to become operational sooner and lowering the growth target at which it kicks into gear. Republicans, however, have attacked the panel of 15 experts as a "rationing board," a charge that has made it harder for Democrats to support the measure.

In the House, 20 Democrats have co-sponsored legislation to repeal the board, and many more had been expected to vote for repeal. That expectation was squashed however after Republicans decided to pay for the $3 billion cost of repealing the board by tying it to medical malpractice legislation that's much more controversial.

The difficulty in finding an acceptable offset may also give Senate Democrats an easy out.

The Senate repeal bill, sponsored by Sen. John CornynJohn CornynKoch brothers kick donor network into high gear for midterms White House aide shoots down smaller immigration deal Overnight Finance: House Appropriations chair to retire | Exit sets off fight for gavel | GOP banks on tax cuts to help in midterms | Crypto exchange under scrutiny after theft | Conservatives push Trump on capital gains taxes MORE (R-Texas), is paid for by cutting the health law's insurance subsidies. That may not be acceptable to Democrats and does nothing to control Medicare costs.

"I think that people who are attacking IPAB need to come up with their own solutions on how we restrain costs," Brown said. "They keep talking about costs, but they never have offered anything."