Medicare Payment Advisory Commission - June 2011 Report to the Congress

[pinto]

Medicare's getting a lot of press this week. I always think it's good to go to the source to take a look at what's behind the buzz. These are the official recommendations from the federally mandated commission. It's lengthy and acronym heavy, but the Executive Summary chapter is a good read. Doesn't sound to me that they are advocating for "cuts to Medicare" but more a restructuring of how payments are made to providers, cost containment proposals and enhancing the return on the expenditures for Medicare covered services. I particularly liked the suggested idea of limiting the out-of-pocket costs for individuals - OOP is a big selling point for the overpriced Medicare Advantage plans.

Is it Medicare-for-all as we would prefer? No way. But this is the topic on the table given the system in place right now. Here's the intro. ~ pinto

Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is an independent congressional
agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105–33) to advise the U.S.
Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. In addition to advising the Congress on
payments to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program and providers in
Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service program, MedPAC is also tasked with analyzing access
to care, quality of care, and other issues affecting Medicare.

The Commission’s 17 members bring diverse expertise in the financing and delivery of health
care services. Commissioners are appointed to three-year terms (subject to renewal) by the
Comptroller General and serve part time. Appointments are staggered; the terms of five or six
Commissioners expire each year. The Commission is supported by an executive director and
a staff of analysts, who typically have backgrounds in economics, health policy, and public
health.

MedPAC meets publicly to discuss policy issues and formulate its recommendations to
the Congress. In the course of these meetings, Commissioners consider the results of staff
research, presentations by policy experts, and comments from interested parties. (Meeting
transcripts are available at www.medpac.gov.)

Commission members and staff also seek input
on Medicare issues through frequent meetings with individuals interested in the program,
including staff from congressional committees and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS), health care researchers, health care providers, and beneficiary advocates.

Two reports—issued in March and June each year—are the primary outlets for Commission
recommendations. In addition to annual reports and occasional reports on subjects requested
by the Congress, MedPAC advises the Congress through other avenues, including comments
on reports and proposed regulations issued by the Secretary of the Department of Health and
Human Services, testimony, and briefings for congressional staff.

http://www.medpac.gov/documents/Jun11_EntireReport.pdf (large pdf file)