Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, according to a report from The Hill.
The IPAB, part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, would be a 15-member panel, effective in 2014, composed of physicians, nurses, scientists and other clinicians that would monitor and ensure savings in the Medicare program without affecting coverage or quality.
Peter Carmel, MD, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement the AMA applauded the House committee's decision to repeal the IPAB in the wake of the continued sustainable growth rate problem. "The IPAB would have far too little accountability and the ability to make across-the-board Medicare cuts," Dr. Carmel said. "This is not what we need at a time when Congress is already struggling to eliminate a failed formula that threatens access to care for seniors and military families."
Proponents of the IPAB argue the President-appointed, Senate-confirmed panel would give the Medicare program an independent view, separate from special interests in Congress and Washington, D.C., on how to achieve cost savings.
A repeal bill of the IPAB is still needed from the House Rules Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, according to the report. The House has said it would like a floor vote over the IPAB this month.
The IPAB, part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, would be a 15-member panel, effective in 2014, composed of physicians, nurses, scientists and other clinicians that would monitor and ensure savings in the Medicare program without affecting coverage or quality.
Peter Carmel, MD, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement the AMA applauded the House committee's decision to repeal the IPAB in the wake of the continued sustainable growth rate problem. "The IPAB would have far too little accountability and the ability to make across-the-board Medicare cuts," Dr. Carmel said. "This is not what we need at a time when Congress is already struggling to eliminate a failed formula that threatens access to care for seniors and military families."
Proponents of the IPAB argue the President-appointed, Senate-confirmed panel would give the Medicare program an independent view, separate from special interests in Congress and Washington, D.C., on how to achieve cost savings.
A repeal bill of the IPAB is still needed from the House Rules Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, according to the report. The House has said it would like a floor vote over the IPAB this month.
More Articles on the IPAB:
House Subcommittee Passes Bill Repealing IPAB
GOP Wants to Veto PPACA's Medicare Cost-Cutting Board
270 Groups Sign Letter Opposing Independent Payment Advisory Board