A wide swath of heavyweight industry groups endorse President Barack Obama's nomination of Don Berwick as CMS leader. And yet, Berwick, a pediatrician and founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, "faces a long uphill struggle" toward winning confirmation, the New York Times reports.
Key Republicans want to prevent his appointment as a way to further protest the new healthcare reform law, the newspaper reports. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has been critical, while Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) calls Berwick "the perfect nominee for a president whose aim has always been to save money by rationing health care."
In a strong show of support, however, a collection of industry groups earlier this week--including the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals--sent a letter Monday to the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee and Senate Finance Committee.
"Dr. Berwick is a trusted and respected voice within the health care community," the letter states. "His knowledge of our healthcare delivery system and how it is influenced by the multiple forces of regulation, payment, transparency and public policy make him well-qualified to implement provisions in the recently enacted health reform law."
CMS, the largest healthcare purchaser in the United States, has been without a leader since October 2006. A confirmation hearing by Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) Senate Finance Committee likely won't begin until after the July 4 holiday.
For more information
- read the New York Times article
- read the AHA's letter to the Senate committees
- read this press release