On the recordMarch 21, 2012
I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I find it interesting that the gentleman who just spoke signed a letter to former Speaker Pelosi on December 17, 2009, that says the IPAB provisions severely limit the congressional oversight of the Medicare program and eliminate the transparency of congressional hearings and debate. Moreover, the creation of a Medicare board would effectively eliminate State community input in the Medicare program, removing the ability to develop and implement policies expressly applicable to different patient populations. So IPAB or an equivalent commission, they said, could not only threaten the ability of Medicare beneficiaries but of all Americans to access the care they need. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce).
