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. 351, which would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB)
authorized under the Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152).
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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