House Republicans have recently made progress in their effort to eliminate the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board, a 15-person board tasked with cutting government Medicare spending, according to an American Medical News report.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill on March 6 that would repeal IPAB, which was created by the Obama administration under healthcare reform. The House Ways and Means health subcommittee also supported repealing the board, which has drawn significant criticism from physician organizations since its inception.
If the board is allowed to continue, IPAB appointees would recommend spending cuts to Medicare whenever projected costs exceed certain targets starting in 2014. Cost-control recommendations would take effect the following year unless overridden by a large majority in Congress.
The House is expected to take up the legislation in late March — around the same time the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law.
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The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill on March 6 that would repeal IPAB, which was created by the Obama administration under healthcare reform. The House Ways and Means health subcommittee also supported repealing the board, which has drawn significant criticism from physician organizations since its inception.
If the board is allowed to continue, IPAB appointees would recommend spending cuts to Medicare whenever projected costs exceed certain targets starting in 2014. Cost-control recommendations would take effect the following year unless overridden by a large majority in Congress.
The House is expected to take up the legislation in late March — around the same time the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law.
Related Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
MedPAC Final Recommendations Stand at 0.5% Payment Increase for ASCs in 2013
Coding Snapshot: Basal Cell Carcinoma
Health Insurers Suffer Due to ICD-10 Delay