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Howard Dean Has an Excuse. Allyson Schwartz Doesn’t.
Howard Dean Has an Excuse. Allyson Schwartz Doesn’t.
Posted on July 30, 2013 by Jon Geeting #
Howard Dean is getting paid by health care providers to say the Independent Payment Advisory Board won’t work. That is what he does for a living now: leveraging his credibility with liberals to get bad information about health care further past their bullshit detectors than a regular hospital spokesperson could. Jonathan Cohn reminds us what Howard Dean has been up to since leaving the DNC:
The reason the fight over the IPAB is so silly is because we already have a health care payment advisory board. It is called the Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee. That is who sets prices and reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid now. But they are not a government board. They are a board at the American Medical Association, where they are not the least bit accountable to the taxpayers. Naturally, the prices they think providers should be paid are laughably high, but so far this has gone unchallenged.
So IPAB is an effort to bring in other stakeholders (insurers, providers, health economists, patient advocates, and other experts) to do the same basic thing and break the RUC’s strangehold. But in one of the more disappointing water-downs, Congress decided that this counterweight to the RUC would only come into being if the Affordable Care Act’s cost control targets weren’t being hit. And Congress is allowed to overrule IPAB if they can find equivalent savings.
<...>
What is not clear to me is why Allyson Schwartz hates the IPAB so much, and wants to let the AMA set reimbursement rates for the public insurers. Though she recently voted with the Democrats against the latest Republican attempt to kill off IPAB, she keeps giving opposition quotes to reporters every time House Republicans go after this. And she is still introducing bills to increase the prices public insurers pay to providers in the country with the highest health care costs in the world.
- more -
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2013/07/howard-dean-has-an-excuse-allyson-schwartz-doesnt/
Posted on July 30, 2013 by Jon Geeting #
Howard Dean is getting paid by health care providers to say the Independent Payment Advisory Board won’t work. That is what he does for a living now: leveraging his credibility with liberals to get bad information about health care further past their bullshit detectors than a regular hospital spokesperson could. Jonathan Cohn reminds us what Howard Dean has been up to since leaving the DNC:
Since his career in politics ended, Dean has found a home in the K Street establishment he once held in such disdain. He’s a strategic adviser to McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, a major Washington lobbying firm whose clients have included health care and pharmaceutical companies. Dean has never registered as a lobbyist, as far as I know, but the distinction is largely illusory. In 2009, one CEO told the publication BioCentury that Dean was “very helpful” in their efforts to loosen federal regulations on drug development.” Another said that “Dean has been a great addition to our team.” It looks like he still is.
The reason the fight over the IPAB is so silly is because we already have a health care payment advisory board. It is called the Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee. That is who sets prices and reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid now. But they are not a government board. They are a board at the American Medical Association, where they are not the least bit accountable to the taxpayers. Naturally, the prices they think providers should be paid are laughably high, but so far this has gone unchallenged.
So IPAB is an effort to bring in other stakeholders (insurers, providers, health economists, patient advocates, and other experts) to do the same basic thing and break the RUC’s strangehold. But in one of the more disappointing water-downs, Congress decided that this counterweight to the RUC would only come into being if the Affordable Care Act’s cost control targets weren’t being hit. And Congress is allowed to overrule IPAB if they can find equivalent savings.
<...>
What is not clear to me is why Allyson Schwartz hates the IPAB so much, and wants to let the AMA set reimbursement rates for the public insurers. Though she recently voted with the Democrats against the latest Republican attempt to kill off IPAB, she keeps giving opposition quotes to reporters every time House Republicans go after this. And she is still introducing bills to increase the prices public insurers pay to providers in the country with the highest health care costs in the world.
- more -
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2013/07/howard-dean-has-an-excuse-allyson-schwartz-doesnt/
Howard Dean Sells Out: Monday Health Care Lobbyist Smackdown Weblogging
The government already sets rates for Medicare, through the RVS and the RUC process.
The Independent Payment Advisory Board--IPAB--is an attempt to set rates in a less-stupid and more evidence-based way.
Thus Howard Dean claiming that "the ACA's rate-setting won't work", thereby telling his readers that the creation of IPAB introduces rate-setting into some equilibrium of free-market prices for Medicare, is Howard Dean being mendacious to try to protect the profits of the clients of McKenna, Long, & Aldridge. It is not Howard Dean weighing in on public policy trying to make America a better place.
Shame on Howard Dean. Disgraceful.
- more -
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2013/07/howard-dean-sells-out-monday-health-care-lobbyist-smackdown-weblogging.html
The government already sets rates for Medicare, through the RVS and the RUC process.
The Independent Payment Advisory Board--IPAB--is an attempt to set rates in a less-stupid and more evidence-based way.
Thus Howard Dean claiming that "the ACA's rate-setting won't work", thereby telling his readers that the creation of IPAB introduces rate-setting into some equilibrium of free-market prices for Medicare, is Howard Dean being mendacious to try to protect the profits of the clients of McKenna, Long, & Aldridge. It is not Howard Dean weighing in on public policy trying to make America a better place.
Shame on Howard Dean. Disgraceful.
- more -
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2013/07/howard-dean-sells-out-monday-health-care-lobbyist-smackdown-weblogging.html
Dean is getting slammed for this bogus position.
Howard Dean Attacks Important Piece Of Obamacare (updated 3x)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023364911
30 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
"The RUC does not set rates but rather makes recommendations to CMS. CMS sets the rates. The new IPAB would have the force of law behind it."
The IPAB would perform the same function with Congressional oversight.
"This is a huge distinction and to represent a special committee from the AMA as the same as a governmental panel with the power of law behind it is just plain lying."
Not only is that an inaccurate claim based on the OP (which states, "But they are not a government board"
, but it also makes no sense. You seem to be opposing the IPAB because it will have the "force of law behind it."
From the OP:
The reason the fight over the IPAB is so silly is because we already have a health care payment advisory board. It is called the Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee. That is who sets prices and reimbursement rates for Medicare and Medicaid now. But they are not a government board.
This is inaccurate. They do not set the rates now. The make suggestions to CMS and CMS modifies the suggestions per their own discretion. Also, it is inaccurate to say the RUC sets Medicaid rates as this is done on a per state basis by the states themselves.
Right now we have a board of specialists making suggestions to a government entity that makes the final decision regarding CPT codes. The new plan is for a panel of government appointees to set the rates. This is clearly not the same and the OP clearly portrayed them, per my above quote.
After reading your posts yesterday I know you are immune to facing your own mistakes in accuracy so I'll pre-emptively wish you a great day!
