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Medicare News
President Praises Resigning Head of Medicare,
Medicaid
Wide range of opinions on aftermath of McClellan
departure
 September 6, 2006 – President Bush issued a
statement late yesterday saying Mark McClellan, who is resigning as
administration of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services "was
critical in the successful implementation of the Medicare prescription
drug benefit -- the most important health care reform in 40 years."
KaiserNet.org tracked down other reaction and speculation, too, in the
daily report today. (See Bush statement below news report.)
 Experts React, Speculate on CMS Administrator
McClellan's Departure
The
resignation of
CMS Administrator Mark McClellan -- who announced on Tuesday that he
will leave the agency in about five weeks -- "creates a critical vacancy
as the Bush administration enters its final two years, a time when
skilled political appointees typically think of leaving the government
rather than joining it," the
Washington Post reports (Lee, Washington Post, 9/6).
McClellan, a medical doctor and economist, said he
wants to spend more time with his family and probably will join a think
tank or take a position in academia (Rockoff,
Baltimore Sun, 9/6).
A replacement for McClellan has not been named, but
potential nominees include CMS Deputy Administrator Leslie Norwalk; Herb
Kuhn, director of the
Center for Medicare Management at CMS; and Julie Goon, a special
assistant to President Bush and former director of Medicare outreach at
HHS, the Post reports (Washington Post, 9/6).
According to the Sun, McClellan's successor "will
face an unwieldy, highly political job" that includes oversight of
Medicaid and Medicare -- which together provide health benefits for
about 90 million U.S. residents -- and management of a $600 billion
federal budget (Baltimore Sun, 9/6).
In addition, the Post reports, "if the Democrats
regain control of the House in the November elections, the next
administrator can expect to be grilled repeatedly at congressional
hearings designed to spotlight Bush policies that Democrats oppose"
(Washington Post, 9/6).
Potential Issues
McClellan's successor faces two "huge" political challenges: "how to
reverse increases in the number of people without health insurance and
how to pay for Medicare and Medicaid, whose costs are expected to soar
as millions of baby boomers age," the
New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 9/6).
Another "immediate task" facing the next
administrator will be addressing issues with the Medicare prescription
drug benefit, the Sun reports. The next administrator also will have to
address a scheduled cut in Medicare reimbursements to physicians, which
is opposed by some members of Congress (Baltimore Sun, 9/6).
Later this year, a special Medicaid commission is
scheduled to issue a report that is expected to recommend "big cost cuts
in the program," while Congress next year will debate whether to
reauthorize the SCHIP program, according to the Post (Washington Post,
9/6).
Comments
Bush in a statement said, "Mark has been a trusted adviser, and he
leaves behind a strong record of accomplishment" (Baltimore Sun, 9/6).
Bush added, "He played an instrumental role in transforming the nation's
health care system, and his efforts will continue to make a difference
for generations" (Freking,
AP/Miami Herald, 9/6).
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, "It
takes a skilled administrator to juggle the agency's competing interests
of offering the highest possible service to beneficiaries while keeping
down costs to preserve the programs for future beneficiaries"
(Washington Post, 9/6). Grassley added, "I hope his departure doesn't
cause delays in getting Part D snags fixed for beneficiaries, and that
he'll correct all known problems before he leaves" (Baltimore Sun, 9/6).
Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), said McClellan was
"smart to step down before at least seven million Medicare beneficiaries
hit the prescription drug program's 'doughnut hole'" (Reichard,
CQ HealthBeat, 9/5).
More Comments
John Rother, director of policy at
AARP, said that McClellan is "a star, and certainly when you lose a
star there is an effect, but I think (Medicare) has changed and will not
fall back automatically to what it was before" (Alonzo-Zaldivar,
Los Angeles Times, 9/6).
Ken Johnson, senior vice president for the
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said, "He
never panicked, he made important midcourse corrections, and, frankly,
he's a big reason why the new prescription drug program is viewed as a
success."
Ron Pollack, executive director of
Families USA, said, "In the context of an administration that
doesn't make health care a high priority and that has made a series of
harmful proposals that will exacerbate the health care crisis, Mark
McClellan served in an admirable way to try to implement the
administration's policies in the best way possible" (Washington Post,
9/6).
President's Statement on
Dr. Mark McClellan Resignation as CMS Administrator
"Mark McClellan has served my Administration in a
number of pivotal positions, and in doing so has bettered the lives of
millions of Americans. He played an instrumental role in transforming
the Nation's health care system, and his efforts will continue to make a
difference for generations.
"Mark first served as a member of my Council of
Economic Advisors, focusing on health care and related economic issues.
He then became head of the Food and Drug Administration, where he
provided steady leadership to empower consumers and to ensure rapid
access to products that are safe and effective. For the last two and a
half years, Mark has run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
in the Department of Health and Human Services. As CMS Administrator,
Mark was critical in the successful implementation of the Medicare
prescription drug benefit -- the most important health care reform in 40
years. He has also worked to ensure that price and quality information
are available to consumers, and led reforms that brought principles of
private sector competition to government programs, thereby moving the
country toward a system in which Americans will receive better care at
lower overall prices.
"Mark has been a trusted advisor and he leaves
behind a strong record of accomplishment. I wish all the best to Mark,
his wife Stephanie, and their children.
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