Are you ready for the many changes about to occur in Medicare as a result of Obamacare?  How about the $500-Billion cut in Medicare funding, the mandatory requirement that everyone buy health insurance or face a fine, and perhaps a lesser known aspect of the plan, the creation of IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board?
What’s IPAB you ask? The short answer is, it’s a proposal under Obamacare for a newly created panel to control and contain Medicare spending.  That sounds like a wonderful concept, especially in light of the fact that Medicare will be broke in about two-decades and already owes more than $50-trillion in unfunded liabilities – that’s money that has been spent by the federal government on future programs, and the Feds have no money budgeted to pay the bills when they come due.
The IPAB is to be made up, not necessarily of medical professionals and healthcare experts, but 15 appointed officials who will have the authority to make cuts to Medicare payments if per capita (per person) spending exceeds defined targeted rates.  That would in essence take difficult decisions about cutting spending on Medicare out of the legislative process that according to our Constitution, is the responsibility of our elected Congress, and put it on auto pilot under the direction of the non-elected committee of 15 behind closed doors with no judicial, administrative or congressional oversight or review of its decisions.
Instead of holding elected officials, who are accountable to voters responsible for controlling our budgets, how about we allow the president to name 15 people to a committee that will have the power to decide what seniors will be “given” for their Medicare health needs, thereby controlling billions of dollars and impacting more than 30 million seniors. Sounds like a great idea!