Experts react, speculate on the release of CMS Administrator McClellan
CMS Administrator Mark McClellan resigned - who announced Tuesday that the agency will leave in five weeks - it creates a significant gap between the Bush administrations last two years, a period during which qualified political appointees generally the idea of leave the government rather than join the Washington Post reports (Lee, Washington Post, 9 / 6). McClellan, a physician and economist, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and probably join a think tank or take a position in academia (Rockoff, Baltimore Sun, 9 / 6).McClellans replacement was not yet identified, but possible candidates include CMS Deputy Administrator Leslie Norwalk, Herb Kuhn, director of the Center for Medicare Management Services CMS and Julie Goon, a special assistant to President Bush and
former director of the coverage Medicare Postal HHS reports (Washington Post, 09/06). After the sun, as McClellans successor will face a difficult task to manage, highly political oversight of Medicaid and Medicare - which together provide health benefits to 90 million U.S. residents - and the management of a federal budget of $ 600 billion (Baltimore Sun, 9 / 6). In addition, subsequent relationships, if the Democrats regain control of the House in the November elections, the next manager can expect to be grilled on several occasions during the congressional hearings designed to highlight the policies Bush to Democrats oppose (The Washington Post, 6.9).Possible problems successor McClellan facing two major challenges: How can the growing number of people without health
insurance and payment of Medicare and Medicaid, whose costs expected to increase inversely as millions of baby boomers age, New York Times reports (Pear, The New York Times 6.9). Another immediate task for the next manager will be to solve problems with the prescription drug benefit for Medicare, told the Sun the new administrator will also be a planned cut in Medicare for doctors who deal challenged by some members of Pages: [1] 2 3