Repeal and Replace It

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repealed and replaced.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.