Sports fans may have their attention focused on the World Series this month, but among the Washington health policy crowd, all eyes are glued to a more arcane but no less engaging contest: the fate of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).In 2010, with more than 45 million Americans uninsured, the authors of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act viewed access as their primary goal-and along came exchanges, premium supplements, and of course mandates (and their epic legal challenges).Although less in the public eye, legislators recognized that another issue, soaring medical costs, was in equal need of attention. Thus arose the concept of an independent impartial panel of experts that would craft and implement cost-saving strategies for Medicare.
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