On the day that IPAB repeal is set to clear the House Energy & Commerce Committee, the White House defending the provision and contrasting it with the GOP’s Paul Ryan plan as a way to save Medicare.
An excerpt from Nancy-Ann DeParle’s post at the White House blog:
Today, Congressional Republicans are working to repeal and dismantle the Independent Advisory Board before it even gets started even though experts like former Bush Administration Medicare Official Mark McClellan called for “[strengthening] and [clarifying] the authority and capacity of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).” And a coalition of economists including Nobel Prize Winners said “…the Affordable Care Act contains essentially every cost-containment provision policy analysts have considered effective in reducing the rate of medical spending. These provisions include…An Independent Payment Advisory Board with authority to make recommendations to reduce cost growth and improve quality within both Medicare and the health system as a whole”
At the same time, House Republicans passed a plan for Medicare last year that does nothing to reduce overall health care costs. Instead, the Republican plan shifts costs to seniors and empowers insurance companies.
The post includes a chart drawing out the differences between IPAB and the Ryan plan, essentially the two options on the table for keeping Medicare solvent in the long run.
