Dear Senator Cornyn,
As the Alliance of Specialty Medicine (Alliance), our mission is to advocate for sound federal health care policy
that fosters patient access to the highest quality specialty care. As patient and physician advocates, the Alliance
supports your legislation, S. 260, which would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).
The Alliance strongly opposes the IPAB or any other board resulting in an inappropriate delegation of Congress’
oversight responsibilities. Significant health care decisions must not be made by a group of unelected,
unaccountable individuals with little or no clinical expertise or the oversight required to protect access to care for
America’s seniors. The Alliance is concerned that the IPAB will arbitrarily ratchet down provider reimbursement,
without sufficient oversight and without care taken to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries receive the quality
health care that they need and deserve. Further, the Board is required to selectively exempt certain providers
from its purview – placing more pressure to cut Medicare reimbursements in areas under its jurisdiction.
The Alliance understands and appreciates concerns with the rising costs of health care. However, the process and
structure of the IPAB is fraught with potential unintended consequences and the IPAB lacks the clinical expertise
and the research capacity to examine the national and regional effects of proposed recommendations to ensure
patients are not unduly impacted. We therefore strongly support your legislation.
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