On July 13, the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing to discuss the 15-member Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Avik Roy, a senior fellow of The Heartland Institute, testified before the subcommittee on the problems with IPAB.
The following statements are directly from Avik Roy’s testimony and may be used for attribution. You can read his testimony in its entirety here. For additional comments, refer to the contact information below, or email Tammy Nash at [email protected] or Jim Lakely at [email protected], or call 312-377-4000.
“If Washington fixes Medicare only after a debt-driven economic disruption, the likely outcome will involve draconian across-the-board cuts in benefits to retirees, painful rationing of medical services, and restricted access to doctors and hospitals. In that scenario, the wealthy will be affected the least, as they will be the ones most able to purchase supplemental insurance to address their needs. It will be the poorest, and the sickest, of Medicare’s enrollees who will get left behind.
“We should be seriously concerned that IPAB, as it is currently designed, will reduce seniors’ access to doctors and health care services, thereby worsening the quality of their care. In addition, the Board may cause disproportionate harm to Medicare Parts C and D, the most attractive aspects of the Medicare program.”
The Heartland Institute is a 27-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Austin, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Columbus, Ohio. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.