Keep Medicare in Congress's hands (Bipartisan Op-Ed)

POLITICO, 3/19/2010 by Bill Frist and John Breaux - [Excerpt] While the new entity, an “Independent Payment Advisory Board,” addresses a growing problem, its structure in the current legislation raises serious constitutional and process questions that Congress must confront. ∴ The board, intended to help control Medicare costs — which, all agree, are rising at a concerning rate — would possess nearly total power over the federal health care program for the elderly and disabled.

[...] Ultimately, however, we would be better off looking to established congressional oversight rather than implementing heavy-handed regulation to make significant — and potentially unconstitutional — changes to a program essential to the successful delivery of health care to America’s seniors.

Bill Frist is a former Republican senator from Tennessee who served as majority leader. John Breaux is a former Democratic senator from Louisiana and served as co-chairman of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. Read more at Politico...