Reimbursement, In Brief

Berwick confirmation hearing preview: In May 12 remarks on the Senate floor, Republican senators roll out criticism that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator-nominee Donald Berwick is a proponent of health care rationing, a theme the minority is likely to take up at Berwick's not-yet-scheduled confirmation hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. The White House officially nominated Berwick, who is founder and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, on April 19 (1"The Pink Sheet," April 26, 2010). Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., charged that Berwick is philosophically aligned with the stringent cost containment applied by the British National Health Service, quoting Berwick as saying: "The NHS is not just a national treasure, it is a global treasure." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Berwick's position that the number of health care specialty services in metropolitan areas should be reduced will end up further limiting options for patients in rural areas. Roberts also stated that Berwick supports "age rationing" by advocating fewer medical procedures in end-of-life care. The health reform law will cost more than expected, Roberts said, and to control spending, "Dr. Berwick will be the man who cuts health care costs by putting the rationing plans into practice.