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On June 15, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) joined with several other medical organizations in sending a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH-08) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) in support of legislation that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), an unelected and unaccountable board empowered to unilaterally cut Medicare Part B spending.
ASA has strongly opposed the IPAB since its creation. H.R. 1190, the Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act of 2015, is ASA supported legislation which would repeal the IPAB. This bipartisan bill moved forward from the House Committee on Ways and Means on June 2, and is expected to be on the House Floor for a vote the week of June 15. As part of its efforts to halt the IPAB, ASA co-founded the Physician IPAB Repeal Coalition and has consistently endorsed and supported efforts for repeal.
In the letter, the organizations detail: “While we recognize the need to reduce the federal budget deficit and control the growth of healthcare spending, the IPAB is simply the wrong solution for addressing these budgetary challenges” citing the fact that “major health policy decisions will rest in the hands of 15 unelected and largely unaccountable individuals.”
