WASHINGTON — According to a July 12 opinion piece in Politico, it should be repealed and replaced. The authors say it is fatally flawed and will threaten seniors' access to care. But they're not talking about competitive bidding — they're targeting the Independent Payment Advisory Board, the 15-member panel (to be appointed by the president) that could set Medicare reimbursement unless Congress intervenes.
Article authors Paul Howard, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who served as director of the Congressional Budget Office under President George W. Bush, have joined the growing ranks of those supporting repeal of the panel.
Amid mounting concerns about the Medicare cost-cutting board, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the plan in a June 23 opinion article, also in Politico.
But on June 24, more than 270 health care and business organizations, including AAHomecare, urged Congress to dump the IPAB.
