Hoosier OK'd to lead Medicare, Medicaid

The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Seema Verma of Indiana as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Her nomination was approved 55-43. Three moderate Democrats – Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia – and Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, joined 51 Republicans in confirming Verma. All opposition votes were cast by Democrats.

Verma, who is Indian-American, founded and has been president and CEO of SVC Inc., a national health policy consulting firm in Indianapolis.

She redesigned Medicaid insurance programs for low-income people in several states, including developing the Healthy Indiana Plan for then-Gov. Mitch Daniels and expanding it for then- former Gov. Mike Pence, now the vice president. 

HIP 2.0 covers about 400,000 Hoosiers and, unlike traditional Medicaid programs, requires beneficiaries to pay part of their medical expenses.

Donnelly said in a statement he was “proud to work with” Verma and Pence on HIP 2.0, saying it “played a critical role in combating the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics.”

But he also warned that the American Health Care Act proposed by the Republican House to replace the Affordable Care Act would “put at risk HIP 2.0 and the health coverage of thousands of Hoosiers.”

In a cost estimate released Monday for the American Health Care Act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted the legislation would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $880 billion in the next decade. HIP 2.0 is largely funded by the federal government.

“It is my hope that Ms. Verma, a Hoosier, will instead pursue a thoughtful, pragmatic, and bipartisan path to protecting Medicare and Medicaid and expand access to quality health care,” Donnelly said.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said in a statement that Verma “has always put mission above politics. Her innovative healthcare ideas have proven to work and improve lives in Indiana.” 

Rep. Susan Brooks, R-5th, issued a statement describing Verma as “responsible, trustworthy and innovative.”

But in a floor speech before the Monday vote, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Verma’s testimony at a Senate committee hearing gave senators and the public “virtually nothing to go by in terms of how she approached this job. But it’s a fact that if confirmed, she would be one of the top officials to implement Trumpcare, a bill that raids Medicare, slashes Medicaid and kicks million of Americans off their health plan to pay for a tax cut for the wealthy.”

“Trumpcare” is a reference to President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the American Health Care Act.