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On February 13, 2012, President Obama revealed his Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal to Congress. The President claims that when combined with the deficit reduction measure he signed last year, this budget will reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade.
Of particular concern to ASA is the President’s continued support for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) and the lack of any proposed resolution to the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR).
IPAB
The President’s continued his call for “doubling down” on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act-which created IPAB--an unaccountable and unelected board with sweeping powers to mandate across-the-board or other targeted reductions in Medicare Part B payments.
As he first indicated in September of 2011, the President’s current budget proposal maintains a “doubling down” argument for lowering the IPAB threshold from the current GDP plus 1 percent to GDP plus 0.5 percent, which would have the near-certain effect of triggering the Board to recommend Medicare payment cuts.
ASA supports a full repeal of IPAB.
SGR
President Obama included budget language pledging to work together with Congressional leaders on an SGR “doc fix.” However, the budget does not include any language to repeal the failed SGR payment system. ASA continues to support a full repeal of the SGR and replacement with a model that more accurately calculates payments to physicians and takes into account anesthesiologist’s unique 33 percent problem.
ASA will continue to update members on budget-related developments.
To review the FY2013 HHS Budget in Brief book, click here.
To review the FY2013 proposed health care specific cost cuts: click here for provider-related, here for Medicare and Medicaid structural-related and here for pharmaceutical-related.
