In a recent letter, the coalition of twenty specialty physician associations representing more than 350,000 physicians, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists, urged the 12 members of the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka the “Supercommittee”) to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) as part of their broader deficit reduction package.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) created IPAB, an unaccountable and unelected board of bureaucrats with sweeping powers to mandate, added across-the-board or other targeted reductions in Medicare Part B payments on top of SGR cuts. IPAB usurps Congressional authority over the Medicare program and would have the authority to override previous legislative decisions made by Congress.
In the letter, the groups state, “Leaving Medicare payment decisions in the hands of an unelected, unaccountable body with minimal congressional oversight will negatively affect timely access to quality health care for our country's senior citizens and the disabled. We therefore urge you to join us and the hundreds of Democrat and Republican Members of Congress and organizations representing seniors, veterans, consumers, patients, healthcare providers, business and others in calling for the repeal of IPAB.”
ASA was instrumental in the creation of the coalition of physician organizations seeking repeal of the damaging IPAB provision of PPACA.
Read the letter sent by the groups.