Sen. Warner on confirmation of Seema Verma for CMS administrator

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, comments after the Senate voted 55-43 to confirm Seema Verma to serve as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“I voted against Seema Verma’s nomination to serve as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As Administrator of CMS, Ms. Verma will be responsible for managing health insurance coverage for 100 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as many aspects of the Affordable Care Act. During the confirmation process, I was not satisfied by Ms. Verma’s answers to key questions regarding the future of these programs. CMS accounts for one-quarter of the federal government’s spending, and these programs face difficult and complex challenges that will only get worse if this Administration succeeds in taking insurance away from millions of Americans by repealing the Affordable Care Act.

“Now that she has been confirmed as CMS Administrator, I hope Ms. Verma will spend time focusing on areas where bipartisan agreement can be found, including ways that we can improve care for chronically ill Medicare patients, advance the discussion around end-of-life care, and move federal health insurance programs into the 21^st century by expanding the use of technology to deliver care to patients.”