MedicareIndependent Payment Advisory Board

Cuts proposed by IPAB would be mandatory and largely unchecked, giving the board – or the Secretary of Health and Human Services – the power to make widespread changes to Medicare without congressional approval. While other branches of government are subjected to constitutional checks and balances, IPAB is structured to be virtually exempt from such oversight. Instead, IPAB’s proposals could take effect automatically and could even override current Medicare law. Additionally, proposals are likely to restrict patients’ access to needed health care services and treatments by disproportionately targeting new treatments as a way to cut spending – prioritizing cost-cutting ahead of a medicine’s benefits to patients. 

There is broad, bipartisan opposition to IPAB. More than 670 organizations across the health care system have voiced concerns, including hospitals, doctors, patient groups and senior groups, and members of Congress from both parties support repeal. IPAB and blunt cuts to programs that provide care are the wrong approach to reforming our health care system to deliver better value for patients. Instead, we should address health care costs holistically to build a sustainable, science-based system that stems the growth of chronic disease and continues delivering innovative treatments to patients.

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