July 12, 2011

Obamacares Most Powerful Bureaucracy

Even Democrats Are Opposed To Giving Bureaucrats Free Reign To Slashing Medicare For Seniors
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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius To Address The House Budget Committee On Medicares Future: An Examination Of The Independent Payment Advisory Board On July 12, 2011 At 10:00 AM. (House Budget Committee, Accessed 7/11/11) OBAMACARES BOARD GIVEN POWER TO CUT MEDICARE BENEFITS FOR SENIORS
ObamaCare Created The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) To Come Up With Ways To Cut Medicare Spending If It Grows Too Fast. Thats the job description for the 15 members of the Independent Payment Advisory Board the new panel created by President Barack Obamas health care law to come up with ways to cut Medicare spending if it grows too fast. (David Nather, Medicare Cost-Cutting Job Could Be
Worst in D.C., Politico, 5/14/11)

Membership To The Board Not Limited to Doctors. The appointment membership of the board shall include (but shall not be limited to) physicians and other health professionals, experts in the area of pharmaco-economics or prescription drug benefit programs, employers, third-party payers, individuals skilled in the conduct and interpretation of biomedical, health services, and health economics research and expertise in outcomes and effectiveness research and technology assessment. Such membership shall also include representatives of consumers and the elderly. (Sec.3403. Independent [Medicare] Payment Advisory Board, Patient
Protection And Affordable Care Act, 5/3/10, p. 402,)

IPAB ALLOWS BUREAUCRATS TO THROW GRANNY OVER THE CLIFF BY RATIONING CARE
Industry Groups Worry That IPABs Actions Will Result in Rationing. While the board is not supposed to be able to cut benefits, industry groups fear that its actions would result in rationing care. The board could cut payments to health care providers. (Duff Wilson, Industry Aims At Medicare Board, The New York Times
Prescription Blog, 11/4/10)

IPAB Will Allow Bureaucrats To Throw Granny Over The Cliff. One place to start is by attacking the Democratic plan to cut Medicare via political rationing. Mr. Ryan's budget had the virtue of embarrassing President Obama's spend-more initial budget, and the White House responded by proposing to increase the power of the new Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to decide what, and how much, Medicare will pay for. The ObamaCare bill goes to great lengths to shelter this 15-member, unelected board from Congressional review, with the goal of letting these bureaucrats throw granny over the cliff if Medicare isn't reformed. Yet few Americans know anything about IPAB or its rationing intentions. (Editorial, The GOPs New York
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Spanking, The Wall Street Journal, 5/26/11)

EVEN DEMOCRATS ARE ON BOARD FOR REPEALING IPAB

Democrats Argue That IPAB Cuts Services And Payments To Providers. But some Democrats, as well as most Republicans and health care providers argue the panel could arbitrarily cut services to Medicare patients and payments to providers with little congressional oversight. (Jennifer Haberkorn, Democrats Split On
Independent Payment Advisory Board, Politico, 7/10/11)

So Far, Seven Democrats Have Signed On To Repeal IPAB. According to Politico, a bill introduced by Rep. David Poe, R-Tenn., to repeal IPAB has seven Democrat co-sponsors. Thus far IBD has only been able to track down five: Allyson Schwartz, Pa.; Linda Sanchez, Calif.; Kathy Castor, Fla.; Michael Capuano, Mass.; and Shelley Berkley, Nev. (David Hogberg, IPAB Is Really, Really Doomed, Investors Business Dailys Politics and Markets Blog, 6/9/11) Republicans Star Witness For IPAB Repeal Is None Other Than Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA). In fact, Schwartz will be one of the GOPs star witnesses at the Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. She says IPAB puts Congresss responsibility in the hands of an outside panel and could lead to arbitrary cuts to doctors, hospitals and other providers. (Jennifer Haberkorn, Democrats Split On Independent Payment Advisory Board, Politico, 7/10/11) Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA): IPAB Brings Unpredictability And Uncertainty To Providers And Has The Potential For Stifling Innovation And Collaboration. We all agree that Medicare costs must be contained and that the payment system is flawed and needs to be replaced. But simply cutting reimbursements is not the answer. IPAB brings unpredictability and uncertainty to providers and has the potential for stifling innovation and collaboration. (Rep. Allyson Schwartz, Op-Ed Opposing View: Repeal
Medicare Board, USA Today, 5/23/2011)

New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) Has Zero Interest In Defending IPAB. But New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, of the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, has zero interest in defending the board Ive never supported it, and I would certainly be in favor of abolishing it, he told POLITICO. Im opposed to independent commissions or outside groups playing a role other than on a recommendatory basis. (Jennifer Haberkorn, Democrats Split On Independent Payment Advisory Board, Politico, 7/10/11) Former Democrat House Leader Dick Gephardt: It will propose cuts to Medicare that Congress can override only with supermajority votes, an unnecessarily high and unrealistic bar. (Dick Gephardt, Op-Ed, Medicare
Must Remain A Responsibility Of Congress, Huffington Post, 6/21/11)

Gephardt Argues That IPAB-Induced Medicare Cuts Would Have Devastating Consequences For Seniors And Disabled Americans. Just as important, these cuts are likely to have devastating consequences for the seniors and disabled Americans who are Medicare's beneficiaries because, while technically forbidden from rationing care, the Board will be able to set payment rates for some treatments so low that no doctor or hospital or other healthcare professional would provide them.
(Dick Gephardt, Op-Ed, Medicare Must Remain A Responsibility Of Congress, Huffington Post, 6/21/11)

REPEAL OF IPAB HAS RECEIVED UNIFIED SUPPORT FROM HUNDREDS OF HEALTH GROUPS
The IPAB Is So Unpopular That 270 Health Care Groups Support Repeal. All told, some 270 stakeholder groups signed a letter to members of Congress urging them to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The IPAB is a panel of experts, appointed by the president, that will have the power to cut Medicare payments. (Sam Baker, 270 Health Care Groups Back IPAB Repeal, The Hills Healthwatch Blog, 6/24/11) Liberal Group: IPAB Turns Medicare Into A Scapegoat: IPAB turns Medicare into a scapegoat, said Max Richtman, executive vice president and acting CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Medicare will be forced to make reductions without addressing the rest of the health
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care costs. (Jennifer Haberkorn, Medicare Pay Board Is Losing Vital Support, Politico, 6/8/11)

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