Tavenner confirmation looks promising

Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, received accolades from both sides of the aisle at a hearing on Tuesday to confirm her nomination. Senate Finance Committee leaders indicated a decision would come soon.

Tavenner, who has been running CMS for more than a year on a temporary basis, was called in for a Senate Finance Committee vetting after being nominated twice for the position by President Barack Obama.

Tavenner’s background as a nurse was one of the many attributes the senators praised, as they took turns questioning her and voicing their support.

To start off the meeting, in a somewhat unprecedented move, lawmakers not on the Senate Finance Committee appeared before the committee to testify on her behalf, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)—all of whom had worked with her in her home state of Virginia.

“She’s the real deal,” Kaine said, making mention of her rural background and deep concern for patient care.

Cantor called her “a force to be reckoned with,” and someone “who speaks on behalf of patients.”

“I don’t think it’s any secret that I differ with the Obama administration when it comes to healthcare policy,” Cantor said. “But, if there’s anyone I trust (to run CMS), it is Marilyn Tavenner.”

Though every senator who questioned her voiced their desire to see her confirmed, the hearing was not without warnings. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the committee said, “There will be a lot of people watching you, including myself.”

“The head of CMS has a great responsibility,” Baucus said. “CMS administers health coverage to roughly one in three Americans. This includes 50 million Medicare patients, 56 million Medicaid patients and more than 5.5 million children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”

Baucus said if confirmed, Tavenner should remember she works for the American people and must demand from her employees at CMS “the utmost efficiency.”

Tavenner, who spent some of her career as a hospital administrator, was on the same page. “While it is important to have a vision for the agency, we have an $820 billion business to run.”

She said her management style centers “a lot around listening,” and that was evident as most senators on the committee thanked her for her personal visits to their offices to discuss healthcare issues.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said he believes Tavenner has the qualifications for the job. Yet, he, like many of the other GOP committee members, expressed concern over the Affordable Care Act and its implementation, which will kick in fully in 2014.

“This is a perfect storm of unanticipated consequences that are combining to make this part of the so-called Affordable Care Act seem more like what I prefer to call it: The Unaffordable Care Act,” he said. “I hope that you will be up to the challenge. Overseeing the complex infrastructure of an agency like CMS is not a job for the faint of heart. I wish you the best of luck as you work to address these challenges and as you continue going through the confirmation process. You will need it.”

The hearing ended abruptly, having run over time, and the senators all had to hustle from the hearing room to make it to the chamber for a vote. Baucus mentioned several times during the hearing, however, that he intends to hold a confirmation vote for Tavenner as soon as possible.