WASHINGTON — Late Wednesday, President Obama renominated Donald Berwick as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The president had originally nominated the Harvard professor and pediatrician for the job in April 2010. But after Republicans attacked Berwick's views on Medicare cost control, which some felt would lead to care rationing, the president bypassed Senate confirmation and used a recess appointment to put Berwick in place as acting CMS administrator in July.
But recess appointments are temporary, and Berwick can remain as acting administrator only through the end of 2011. This time around, he must be confirmed by the Senate to win the job as the giant agency's permanent head.
Although most of CMS' official comments on competitive bidding have been left to Jonathan Blum, deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare Management, Berwick did single out the program as an example of how Medicare can save money at a Senate Finance Committee hearing in November.
Responding to questions about savings under health reform, Berwick pointed to the 32 percent drop in Medicare payments for DME in Round 1 of competitive bidding, which he said would return "something like $150 million I think back to beneficiaries in those nine trial areas."
CMS has been without a permanent administrator since Mark McClellan left the post in October 2006.
