Legislative option for the independent payment advisory board

摘要

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House of Representatives and Republican Senators have each recently introduced legislation (Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2013) aimed to protect seniors' access to health care through the elimination of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). This legislation deserves the consideration and support of our elected officials. As annual cost growth continues to outpace inflation, Medicare is heading in the wrong fiscal direction. Every year, this imbalance becomes more prominent through the discussion of ever-pending sustainable growth rate cuts. The problems are complex but real. Simply stated, without reform, the promised services to seniors may be radically altered to right the ship.