AAP Statement On The Appointment Of Pediatrician Dr. Donald Berwick To Lead Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services (CMS)
Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's HealthAlso Included In: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 08 Jul 2010 - 7:00 PDT
"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) applauds the appointment of Donald Berwick, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician and clinical professor of pediatrics and health policy at Harvard Medical School, as the new Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
"As Administrator of CMS, Dr. Berwick will be tasked with implementing critical elements of health reform that directly impact the nation's children and families. He brings the leadership CMS needs at this time.
"Don Berwick believes-as many pediatricians do-that everyone deserves access to not just health care, but to quality health care. He is a national leader in efforts to improve health care quality, and countless patients have benefitted as a result of his work. In particular, his 100,000 Lives Campaign has demonstrated that quality improvement saves lives.
"Pediatricians are constantly collaborating to improve the quality of children's health care through research, education, policy analysis and advocacy. But we can't do it alone. With Dr. Berwick, we have a strong child advocate who understands the importance of the medical home for children and will help this important work move forward in a meaningful way.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics congratulates Dr. Berwick on his appointment, and looks forward to working with him to provide quality, affordable health care for all children in this country."
Source:
American Academy of Pediatrics
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MLA
13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/194098.php>
APA
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/194098.php.
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Berwick In The Back Door Because Even Democrats Wouldn't Approve Him?
posted by smokedsalmoned on 8 Jul 2010 at 10:59 amObama Skips Hearing Approval Process on Donald Berwick (Rationing & Single Payer Advocate) Through A Non -Transparent Recess Appointment.
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WE THE PEOPLE DEMAND HEARINGS ANYWAYS.THE DEMOCRATS CONTROL THE HOUSE, SENATE AND PRESIDENCY, WHY BYPASS THE NORMAL HEARING & APPROVAL PROCESS. IS THIS GUY TOO RADICAL FOR EVEN DEMOCRATS TO APPROVE?
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President Obama used a recess appointment to bypass the Senate confirmation process for Donald Berwick, who Obama named to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This agency has an annual budget of more than $800 billion and oversees two health programs — Medicare for seniors and Medicaid for the poor — with more than 90 million enrollees.
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Obama nominated Berwick, for the position April 19 but faced opposition from Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called Berwick an "expert on rationing." The Senate Finance Committee did not schedule a hearing on his appointment. The recess appointment circumvents hearings and is certainly not a "transparent" way of governing.
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Former agency head, Thomas Scully is quoted as saying "Everything he does every day has an impact on every doctor, every hospital and every patient in the country."
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Berwick, when commenting on England's (NHS) health care system, is quoted as saying, “It’s not a question of whether we will ration care. It is whether we will ration with our eyes open.” “Any health care funding plan that is just, equitable, civilized and humane must, must redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent health care is by definition redistributional.” The speech is on the web if you want to find it.
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In an article for Health Affairs titled The Triple Aim: Care, Health, And Cost he doubles down on those rationing comments and lays out arguments for a single payer system and governmental control of the supply of health care.
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The public should demand that the Senate at least hold confirmation hearings to publicly vette this person, even though Obama has circumvented them through the recess appointment. Every Medicare & Medicaid recipient needs to know the outspoken beliefs of the person who holds their fate in his hands. Every voter should know that Obama has made a back door recess appointment to circumvent the proper processes, to prevent the public from finding out about this rationing, single payer proponent. With that hearing, then the public will at least be educated as to the style of appointment and the measure of Obama and the man he selected. .
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