Centrists Win Backing on Medicare Cost Cuts

http://www.pnhp.org/blog/

"....There has been intense interest in providing the administration with greater control over Medicare spending in order to bend down the trajectory of projected increases in spending. Members of Congress and the administration have been considering an Independent Medical Advisory Council (IMAC) much like the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), but with one very important difference.

Currently MedPAC serves only in an advisory capacity to Congress, and any recommendations must be specifically enacted by Congress. Under this proposal, IMAC would have the power to put into force these recommendations, with the approval of the President. Congress’s power would be limited to the ability to reject, by a joint resolution of Congress, the intact, full package of IMAC reforms and updates...."


Time will not allow me to follow up on this thread, hopefully others will make some comments on the issue.

TIA.

:kick:

unfortunately I just so not have the time now to read more on this topic.

Fiscal conservatives say that under the current system, which gives Congress more power, lawmakers shy away from politically tough votes to restrain Medicare costs.

In other words, they get an earful from their senior citizen constituents who don't want their Medicare benefits cut. This way, they can say "Hey, it's out of our hands." Lovely.

One proposal pushed both by President Barack Obama and some centrists is to give the executive branch the authority to implement cuts to Medicare spending that would be recommended by independent experts.

Will these experts be as independent as our Congress, or do lobbyists just scratch out the name on the check and send it to a new address?

Congress could stop the cuts, but only if it acted swiftly.

HA!

White House budget chief Peter Orszag was among those at the meeting, and said the mechanism was a big focus of discussion. He said adding it would alleviate the concerns of fiscally conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats. “I think it’s probably the most important piece that could be added to the House legislation,” he said.

Because Medicare cuts are a more important part of health care legislation than providing citizens with *drumroll* access to affordable health care? Great. Pass a needlessly complicated bill that probably won't deliver the goods and gouge Medicare at the same time. It's a twofer!

Original Wall Street Journal link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124822098850870337.html