Wednesday, Donald Berwick was appointed by President Obama to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) while Congress is in recess. Berwick’s recess appointment means that politicians were deprived of an possibility to weigh in again on the health care reform bill that passed earlier this year. The administration says the recess appointment of Berwick helps move heath care reform along without Republican obstruction. Republicans think it is an try to hurt Berwick’s record. Berwick, a professor at Harvard Medical School is being vilified by Republicans even though he has the support of the entire health care industry behind him.
Medicare overhaul can be lead by Donald Berwick
Donald Berwick’s recess appointment happened since the White House said the new health care reform law calls for huge changes in Medicare and Medicaid, which insure nearly one-third of all Americans. Dan Pfeiffer, who’s the White House communications director, told the New York Times that the president decided to act because “many Republicans in Congress have made it clear in recent weeks that they were going to stall the nomination as long as they could, solely to score political points.”
Bush appointees back up Berwick
In April, Donald Berwick was nominated to lead CMS. The agency didn’t have a permanent administrator since October of 2006. The Washington Post explained that Berwick is the perfect choice to oversee a Medicare/Medicaid spending budget of $800 billion — about one-third of all health-care spending. He is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on improving health care quality when saving money. Two CMS administrators which were appointed by George W. Bush back the nomination, as well as the American Hospital Association, the AARP, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and a long list of local medical groups.
Obstruction by republicans bypassed
Despite his credentials, Republicans are planning use Donald Berwick’s nomination to whip up partisan furor over “Obamacare.” The Associated Press reports that Republicans, who use “rationing” as a code word to discredit health care reform, have seized on comments like one Berwick made to an interviewer last year: “The decision is not whether or not we will ration care, the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open. And right now, we are doing it blindly.” Berwick also drew Republican ire for praising Britain’s National Health Service.
Revisited is health care rationing
The Post that has some of Pat Roberts of Kansas are trying to twist these statements. ”Dr. Berwick is the perfect nominee for a president whose aim has always been to save money by rationing health care,” Mr. Roberts explained on the Senate floor last month. The Associated Press article explained when it comes to the rationing issue; Republicans argue that Berwick would deny needed care based on cost. Supporters argue rationing already is done by insurance companies, and Berwick wants transparency and accountability in medical decisions.
Discover more about this topic here:
New York Times
thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/obama-bypassing-congress-on-medicare-job/
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062804675.html
Associated Press
hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_HEALTH_CARE_APPOINTMENT?SITE=WNYC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
