Sebelius vs. Orszag on the IPAB’s power

Hot Air ^ | 7/18/11 | SusanAnne Hiller

[Nachum]

Comedy gold or a pathetic partisan ploy can characterize Kathleen Sebelius’s testimony when she attempts to minimize the immense authority granted to the Independent Medicare Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), when so many of us know the raw real deal. On July 13, the House Subcomittee on Health and Energy held hearings on the controversial IPAB, in which Sebelius attempted to minimize and circumvent the truth (pdf and a must read) with regards to the IPAB.

Congressman Michael Burgess (R-TX and yes, he is also Dr. Burgess) questioned Secretary Sebelius on several key factors, including the unelected 15-person panel, their potential recess appointments to avoid Senate confirmation, and the ultimate effects of this panel in reshaping the health care system. Burgess does not let Sebelius off the hook, but pushes her on the IPAB’s power and lack of judicial oversight. The entire exchange is worth watching:

[Nachum]

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[justiceseeker93]

It's obvious that Orzag (Obama's White house budget director?) is playing up the potential power of the "Medicare Payment Advisory Board" to reduce costs to government by setting regulations to deny treatments to Medicare patients. This is nothing but rationing, though the lying Orzag says that the Board will be a force for improving health care.

On the other hand, Sebelius is playing the opposite game in front of Congressman Burgess. She's lying by minimizing the potential power of the Board in order to mollify the Republicans in Congress.

Seems as if there are a significant number of congressional Dems willing to join the vast majority of the GOP members in repealing the Board before it gets going in smashing patients' lives by its decisions. Hopefully the Board can be repealed in this session of Congress, and the rest of ObamaCare can be repealed as early as 2013 with a new Congress and a new GOP president.

[freekitty]

Why don’t they just repeal the board if they are so for it or is it just another story to continue their destruction from both sides of America.

[listenhillary]

Why don’t we get government entirely out of the health care business?

Once we let them pay for health care, are they not then our masters?

[freekitty]

Yep, the problem is they won’t do away with these programs.

When the voters in Houston voted out the red light plan, our mayor did not do away with the lights. I told my husband if they are not gone; it will be brought up again. Not only was it brought up again with no notice to public who legitimately voted the lights out, our mayor gave no warning until she actually reimplemented the program. She should go to jail at the very least.

[SunkenCiv]

These are the Death Panelists, no other descriptions fits.

[I_be_tc]

later