Medicare Monday: There’s an agency called MedPAC?

Now that we’ve learned more about IPAB and CMMI, there’s one more agency on our list to read up on this month – the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

MedPAC is an independent congressional agency that was created by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and advises Congress on all things related to Medicare, including payment, access to and quality of care.

The agency consists of 17 members, or commissioners, who are appointed to three-year terms by the Comptroller General of the United States. Each term runs from May 1 to April 30, and commissioners can be reappointed. These commissioners are often employers and researchers or representatives from the health care industry, including hospitals, prescription benefit managers and insurers.

Each year, MedPAC holds a number of public meetings to discuss proposed changes to Medicare. And each March and June it releases reports to Congress on the commissioners’ final recommendations. You may recall the April 2016 recommendations they voted on and sent to Congress regarding harmful changes to Medicare Part D, with which a number of stakeholders raised concerns.

Given MedPAC’s role in advising Congress and informing Medicare policy debates, it is important to stay up to date on their efforts. If you are in DC and are interested in attending a meeting, MedPAC holds its next public meeting this week. You can also follow MedPAC on Twitter.