More on IPAB

Following the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee’s 17-5 bipartisan vote on Wednesday to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), there has been some important commentary on the issue worth spotlighting.

The National Minority Quality Forum pointed out that IPAB – the 15-member appointed board that will be empowered to cut Medicare spending – could endanger necessary investments in healthcare research and delivery.

A seniors’ organization, RetireSafe, made it clear that IPAB will do tremendous “collateral damage to Medicare beneficiaries.”

Former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin co-authored an op-ed in Real Clear Politics, pointing out that IPAB will cause more healthcare providers to cease accepting Medicare patients.

We’ll have more on this issue in the very near future.  The House Ways and Means health subcommittee will have a hearing on the IPAB issue on Tuesday, March 6 at 10 a.m.  We will be planning to live-tweet that hearing at @HealthInFocus.