Medicare Payment Board Needs Fixing

amount of power. The IPAB is liable to enact cost-cutting measures that might sound good in the board room, but actually lead to worse health outcomes for Medicare patients and strap them with unbearable costs.

Indeed, the IPAB can make drastic changes to Medicare plans, including raising premiums, cutting benefits, and restricting eligibility requirements. Technically, Congress can cancel any such changes by passing a joint resolution within a month of their proposal. But Congress is so fractured that it's very unlikely there will be the political will for such a move.

There need to be more substantive checks against the IPAB decisions. And seniors need to be guaranteed representation during the policymaking process.

If left unaltered, Medicare could literally bankrupt this country. This IPAB is a step in the right direction, but it needs improvement. By pushing for some simple, commonsense modifications to the IPAB, those in favor of doing better could substantially bring down healthcare costs and improve coverage for millions without compromising their principles.



Peter J. Pitts is President of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a former FDA Associate Commissioner.