Obamacare’s Independent Payment Advisory Board is authoritarian. It does not “advise,” it imposes on cost cutting for Medicare–even over a presidential veto. Moreover, it’s imposed “advice” is also immune from judicial review.
Frankly, I think it is blatantly unconstitutional because it tells Congress what to do instead of the other way around. But with the courts we have these days, nothing is certain.
As currently existing, the IPAB cannot ration care. But that is precisely the destination toward which the monster is lurching. It isn’t even up and running yet, and already President Obama and the New England Journal of Medicine have called for expanding its powers–and in the NEJM’s case, urged that it be allowed to impose rationing. And now a big voice in Obamacare circles, Christina Romer has dittoed the call in the NYT. From, “Only the First Step in Containing Health Care Costs:”
