Round One For CMS Administrator Don Berwick

Don Berwick got a good warm up for confirmation hearings before the Senate Finance Committee and Baucus extends an olive branch. Last week saw the beginning and ending of round one of Dr. Don Berwick?s first formal testimony before the Senate Finance Committee as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Appointed four months ago in a presidential recess appointment, Republicans have been waiting to get into the ring with him and spar on some of his past statements. By law, Berwick must undergo a confirmation hearing before the end of the lame duck session of Congress. So anxiety and expectations ran high on the part of both Democrats and Republicans over how the first round would go. As the government official who controls more than $800 billion in federal spending annually, many conservatives had indicated that they were ready to pounce on Berwick at the hearing. However, when all was said and done, the CMS Chief arrived on Capitol Hill last Wednesday morning to only some light sparing. Perhaps it was the fact that the time allotted for the hearing was only one hour. Republicans complained that there was insufficient time allocated for a healthy dialogue. In fact, Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT) complained that the hearings were ?pathetic.? Since the Republicans did not grill Berwick, the Democrats did not get defensive ? so, it was a civil discussion. I suspect we?ll see much more debate in the next several rounds that will no doubt resume after the Thanksgiving recess. There were some comments about Berwick?s delay in detailing his personal finances and donations to his previous employer, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Berwick had previously pledged to disclose this information but has not yet done so due to ambiguities in the law. Berwick also deflected critiques about the reform package eliminating critical benefits, reminding the Senate that, according to federal calculations, Medicare would have gone bankrupt in a mere six years were it not for the reform. In all, it was a tame hearing compared to the circus antics many had predicted. It was also the Senate Finance Committee and not the House Oversight Committee, where the hearings may not be quite so genteel. The real importance of this hearing was its role as a preview of the 112th Congress. While the Republicans face insurmountable odds in a full-out repeal of healthcare reform, their two most feasible options are to de-fund or modify. Congressional hearings will no doubt be part of the greater de-fund strategy. As presumptive Chair of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has pledged to do everything in his power to stop the implementation of healthcare reform by slowing the process of doling out already appropriated funds through time-consuming hearings and testimony. Issa has gone so far as to quip that Berwick ? as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ? should find permanent parking spots on Capitol Hill, given the frequency they will be called upon to testify before Congress. The combination of the Senate?s extraordinarily civil tone with the Issa declaration of intent to hold hearings early and often means the real hearings are still down the road. So, Don and the members of the Senate Finance Committee should rest up during the Thanksgiving holiday in preparation for the next round. It will indeed be interesting to see how both the Democrats and Republicans react to Don?s testimony in the lame-duck session, although it seems certain some conservatives plan to use the Berwick confirmation as a punching bag for the Obama Administration. As I?ve said before, I support Don. He?s a great leader and visionary in healthcare with an incredibly bright mind. Congress ought to back his nomination. If I were Don, I?d rest up before the next showing...mobile spy spy text messages Sources...... cell phone spy