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Press Releases

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined his GOP colleagues in signing a letter to the White House requesting President Obama withdraw the nomination of Dr. Donald Berwick for the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“The enactment of the 2010 partisan health care law placed more authority in the hands of the Administration than ever before. As CMS now has the responsibility for restructuring insurance markets across the country, Dr. Berwick’s lack of expertise in the areas of health plan operations and insurance regulation raise serious concerns about his qualifications for this position,” the letter states.

Dr. Berwick has repeatedly expressed his support for a British-style healthcare system, government-directed healthcare “rationing” and socialized medicine. In a 2009 interview he said, “The decision is not whether or not we will ration care—the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.”

President Obama made a recess appointment of Berwick in July of 2010 and nominated him again for CMS Administrator in January.

“Dr. Berwick’s role as CMS Administrator will put him directly in charge of implementing the flawed health care law. His support for rationing is no secret and to put him in control of an agency that has to deal with the deep cuts to the Medicare program under the new health care law is unreasonable and unfair to senior citizens. I encourage President Obama to withdraw the nomination. The American people deserve an Administrator who has bipartisan support and receives confirmation after the appropriate hearings,” Boozman said.

Boozman signed onto a letter to President Obama stating opposition to the nomination of Berwick as the CMS Administrator in June of 2010 and expressed his concerns after the recess appointment of Berwick the following month.