Peter J. Pitts

Those who opposed the healthcare bill are currently debating whether “repeal and replace” should be the clarion call in the coming election. Regardless of how this debate turns out, those in favor of doing better should focus their immediate attention to identifying and fixing the most harmful parts of the legislation. The new Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) should be a top target.
The bill that passed restructures the existing federal agency responsible for bringing down Medicare costs -- the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MPAC) -- and turns it into the IPAB.
MPAC was a group of medical experts appointed by Congress that provided non-binding recommendations on ways to cut expenses and increase revenues in the Medicare program.
The changes embodied in the IPAB are meant to make the agency more independent and to skirt the political hurdles that have stalled cost-control efforts in the past. Board members will now be appointed by the President. And the IPAB’s policy recommendation will automatically be instituted unless Congress overrides them.