Hatch: Verma the Right Choice to Head CMS

Utah Senator Says, “At a time when the healthcare challenges we face are very real and extremely complex, our nation needs leaders like Ms. Verma who have demonstrated their ability to deliver results.”

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) highlighted Seema Verma’s experience in healthcare policy and administration, and urged colleagues to support her nomination to the be next Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

“I believe Ms. Verma is especially qualified to lead CMS and modernize its programs to increase the effectiveness of healthcare delivery,” Hatch said. “She brings the experience and, importantly, bipartisan solutions that can and should unite people across the political spectrum in addressing some of the greatest challenges in our healthcare system. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting Ms. Verma’s nomination to this important position.”

Hatch went on to note the challenges facing CMS and our nation’s healthcare system, and reiterated the need for strong leadership at the helm of this critical agency.

“CMS is the world’s largest health insurer. It has a budget of over one trillion dollars and it processes over 1.2 billion claims a year for services provided to some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens receiving Medicare and Medicaid,” Hatch continued. “Ms. Verma has a keen understanding of patients’ needs. She certainly has the expertise to create a healthcare model this country needs and improve the lives of the 100 million Americans covered by Medicare and Medicaid.”

The complete speech as prepared for delivery is below:

Mr. President, I rise today to speak in favor of the nomination of Ms. Seema Verma to serve as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

I think we all can agree that this is a critical time for healthcare in America. Health costs continue to rise and patients face growing uncertainty over coverage. At the same time, the health of too many Americans continues to decline, healthcare costs continue to grow, and millions of new Baby Boomers are becoming eligible for Medicare each and every year.

     Congress and our new President face intense pressure to address these challenges, and the stakes are very high.

     I am confident that Ms. Verma is up for that challenge.

     She has over two decades of experience working with state health care and industry leaders to reform and improve services for the most vulnerable members of our communities.

     Ms. Verma’s experience as an entrepreneur and industry leader allowed her to work extensively on a variety of policy and strategic projects involving Medicaid, insurance and public health in conjunction with the Indiana Governor's office, state Medicaid agencies, State Health Departments, State Departments of Insurance, the federal government, and private companies and foundations.

     There are few professionals in the country who have her level of close relationships with state leaders that will be critical as Congress and the administration work to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

     Medicaid represents an enormous burden on state budgets, and we now have an unprecedented opportunity to reform a federal entitlement program long in need of structural changes. Ms. Verma is the ideal candidate to oversee the reform of the Medicaid program and take steps administratively to give states the flexibility they have been clamoring for.

     In Indiana, Ms. Verma worked with Governors Daniels and Pence to design a Medicaid expansion program that extended health coverage to nearly 400,000 low-income, working Americans. She did so in a way that empowered people to take greater responsibility for their own health by providing incentives to use healthcare resources efficiently. The program ensured that many people got healthcare coverage for the first time.

     Now, this innovative program has become a national model for other states, and Ms. Verma’s experience will be invaluable as we work together to improve healthcare across the country and bring down costs.

     In addition to her work in Indiana, Ms. Verma has developed several other Medicaid reform programs, including 1115 Medicaid waivers for Iowa, Ohio, and Kentucky.

     Her firm helped design Tennessee's coverage expansion proposal and also provided technical assistance to Michigan when the state implemented its Medicaid waiver.

     She also helped guide the transition of Iowa's Medicaid program to a managed care program, and supported strategy efforts for Maine's Medicaid plan.

     Having dealt with CMS in her capacity as a consultant working on these myriad projects, she knows first-hand what is needed to make the programs work effectively.

     Her job as CMS Administrator will not be easy, and that’s an understatement.

     CMS is the world’s largest health insurer. It has a budget of over one trillion dollars and it processes over 1.2 billion claims a year for services provided to some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens receiving Medicare and Medicaid. As such, this is a critical agency and we need a qualified, dedicated leader at the helm.

     In addition to ensuring that Medicare and Medicaid work effectively, Ms. Verma will also be charged with helping to ensure the longevity and solvency of the existing Medicare trust fund, which is projected to go bankrupt in 2028. Maintaining the solvency of the Medicare program while continuing to provide care for an ever increasing beneficiary base is going to require creative solutions and skillful administration.

     All told, between now and 2030, 76 million baby boomers will become eligible for Medicare. Even factoring in deaths over that period, the program will grow from approximately 47 million beneficiaries today to roughly 80 million in 2030. This will also create challenges that will require steady leadership and, at times, decisive action.

     I believe Ms. Verma is especially qualified to lead CMS and modernize its programs to increase the effectiveness of healthcare delivery. She brings the experience and, importantly, bipartisan solutions that can and should unite people across the political spectrum in addressing some of the greatest challenges in our healthcare system.

     Ms. Verma has a keen understanding of patients’ needs.

     She certainly has the expertise to create a healthcare model this country needs and improve the lives of the 100 million Americans covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

     At a time when the healthcare challenges we face are very real and extremely complex, our nation needs leaders like Ms. Verma who have demonstrated their ability to deliver results.

     Now, I know many people have different ideas about the best direction for the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and how we should meet the complex challenges facing CMS. While we can disagree on policy, we should all agree that the agency needs smart, experienced leadership at its helm.

     That being the case, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting Ms. Verma’s nomination to this important position.

     I yield the floor.

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