Today, The Concord Coalition released a new issue brief discussing the importance of strengthening the independent Medicare commission created in the Senate legislation currently being debated.
The new Independent Medicare Advisory Board (IMAB), not included in the House bill, would be tasked with making recommendations on slowing Medicare cost growth. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) would implement these recommendations unless Congress intervened with legislation to prevent the changes from taking effect.
Unfortunately, the current version of this proposal places such severe restrictions on the IMAB that its effectiveness as a cost-control mechanism would be minimal. An amendment offered by Senators Rockefeller (D-WV), Lieberman (I-CT), Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bingaman (D-NM) would remove many of these restrictions and greatly improve the ability of IMAB to fulfill its potential.
Increased drug coverage restrictions in Medicare Part D raises concerns