Gene L. Dodaro, acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, has announced the appointment of four new members and the reappointment of two existing members to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC.
“Policymakers continue to rely on MedPAC’s expert advice, and with the passage of healthcare reform MedPAC’s role will continue to be particularly important,” said Dodaro. “I am pleased to report that, once again, we had many qualified applicants for MedPAC. The four new individuals selected will bring impressive credentials and valuable experience and insights to the commission.”
The new members are Scott Armstrong, president and CEO of the Group Health Cooperative; Katherine Baicker, professor of health economics at the Harvard School of Public Health; Mary Naylor, professor of gerontology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing; and Cori Uccello, senior health fellow of the American Academy of Actuaries. Their terms will expire in 2013.
The reappointed members, whose terms will expire in April 2013, are Thomas M. Dean, MD, a family physician in Wessington Springs, S.D., and Herb B. Kuhn, president and CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association.
Congress established MedPAC in 1997 to analyze access to care, cost and quality of care and other key issues affecting Medicare. MedPAC advises Congress on payments to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program and providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service programs.
The Comptroller General is responsible for naming new MedPAC commission members. The GAO examines the use of public funds, evaluates federal programs and policies and provides analyses, recommendations and other data to help Congress make informed oversight, policy and funding decisions.