Subject: Support for Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act
Dear Senator Cornyn,
On behalf of the undersigned medical organizations, representing more than 400,000 physicians and
the patients they serve, we are pleased to support your bill, the Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare
Act (S. 260), which would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). For a number of
reasons highlighted below, we agree with you that now is the time to seize the moment and eliminate
this unelected, unaccountable government board before it has a chance to become operational.
From the beginning of Medicare, members of Congress have played an essential role in shaping
policies that best meet the needs of their communities and constituents to ensure that the health care
system is equipped to care for diverse populations across the country. With the advent of the IPAB,
however, the people’s elected representatives will no longer have power over Medicare payment
policy. Instead, these major health policy decisions will rest in the hands of 15 unelected and largely
unaccountable individuals. Even worse, if IPAB fails to report recommendations or never becomes
operational, this power will rest solely in the hands of a single person — the Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services.
Additionally, fewer than half of the IPAB members can be health care providers, and none are
permitted to be practicing physicians or be otherwise employed. Thus, not only does the creation of
IPAB severely limit congressional authority, it essentially eliminates the transparency of hearings,
debate and a meaningful opportunity for critical stakeholder input. Furthermore, IPAB decisions are
not subject to judicial review, granting the board even more unprecedented powers.
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