Leavitt names Medicaid commission members
A Health and Human Services Department (HHS) advisory commission charged with identifying reforms needed to stabilize and strengthen Medicaid will have 13 voting members and 15 nonvoting members. Appointments were made by Mike Leavitt, HHS secretary, including health policy leaders from both major political parties, state health department officials, public policy organizations, individuals with disabilities, and others with special expertise. The commission’s first report was due Sept. 1.
Former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist chairs the commission, with former Maine Gov. Angus King as vice chair.
Sundquist, a Republican, got into political trouble after advocating a tax increase to help avoid massive cuts in the state’s innovative TennCare program. King is a registered Independent and is known as a moderate on Medicaid issues.
Voting commission members include: Nancy Atkins, West Virginia Bureau of Medical Services commissioner; Melanie Bella, Center for Health Care Strategies vice president for policy; Gail Christopher, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies vice president for health, women and families; Gwen Gillenwater, National Council on Independent Living director for advocacy and public policy; Robert Helms, American Enterprise Institute resident scholar and director of health policy studies; Kay James, former director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Troy Justesen, U.S. Department of Education deputy assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitation services; Tony McCann, Maryland Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene who was a budget official in the Department of Health and Human Services during the tenure of the first President Bush; Mike O’Grady, HHS assistant secretary for planning and evaluation; Bill Shiebler, former president of Deutsche Bank; and Grace-Marie Turner, Galen Institute president.
Nonvoting members named by Mr. Leavitt include: James Ander-son, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital president; Julianne Beckett, Family Voices director of national policy; Carol Berkowitz, American Aca-demy of Pediatrics president; Maggie Brooks, Monroe County, NY, county executive; Valerie Davidson, Yukon-Kuskowim Health Corp. executive vice president; Mark de Bruin, Rite Aid senior vice president of pharmacy services; John Kemp, Disability Service Providers of America CEO; Joseph Marshall, Temple University Health System CEO; John Monahan, WellPoint president of state sponsored programs; John Nelson, American Medical Association immediate past president; Joseph J. Piccione, OSF Healthcare System corporate director of mission integration; John Rugge, Hudson Headwaters Health Network CEO; Douglas Struyk, Christian Health Care Center CEO; Howard Weitz, Thomas Jefferson University cardiologist; and Joy Johnson Wilson, National Confer-ence of State Legislatures director of health policy and federal affairs counsel.
The slate of nominees was criticized by some Democrats and Medicaid advocates either for not being bipartisan enough or for not being independent from the president’s positions.
Ron Pollack, Families USA executive director, said the commission was "a sham that deserves, and will receive, no credibility." And U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) said the commission "falls short of the unbiased, independent advisory panel" proposed by Sens. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Bingaman expressed disappointment with the commission appointments and said that any report they produce "is likely to be lopsided, and therefore not a useful tool for Congress."
Even Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he would not appoint a colleague to the commission. Congressional leaders of both parties were to select eight lawmakers to serve as nonvoting members, but Democrats have refused to participate, saying they fundamentally disagree with the commission’s charge to find ways to cut Medicaid spending. Mr. Barton said he was satisfied with what he called the diverse makeup of the commission and planned to devote his energies to developing Medicaid reform legislation.
By Sept. 1, the commission was to outline recommendations for Medicaid to achieve $10 billion in reductions in spending growth during the next five years as well as ways to begin meaningful long-term enhancement that can better serve beneficiaries. It also was to consider potential Medicaid performance goals as a basis for longer-term recommendations. A second report, due Dec. 31, 2006, is to provide recommendations to ensure Medicaid’s long-term sustainability, addressing issues such as how to expand coverage while retaining fiscal responsibility, ways to provide long-term care to those who need it, eligibility, benefits design and delivery, improved quality of care, choice, and beneficiary satisfaction. Mr. Leavitt has held two seats on the commission for two governors to participate in deliberations for the second report.
(To see the commission’s charter, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/faca/mc/default.asp.)
A Health and Human Services Department (HHS) advisory commission charged with identifying reforms needed to stabilize and strengthen Medicaid will have 13 voting members and 15 nonvoting members.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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