Seema Verma Has a Proven Record of Success

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Contact: Don Stewart, David Popp 202-224-2979

Robert Steurer, Stephanie Penn 202-224-8288

Seema Verma Has a Proven Record of Success

'So her expertise is going to be invaluable as we continue fulfilling our promise to the American people. As we move to repeal and replace the unworkable, partisan Obamacare law and return authority to the states, my hope is that Ms. Verma will be able to focus more time and attention than her recent predecessors to the core functions of the agency -- strengthening Medicare and Medicaid.'

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding President Trump's nominee for CMS Administrator, Seema Verma:

"This week, the House unveiled its bill to repeal and replace Obamacare and began consideration through the committee process. It's an important step toward keeping our promise to the American people. And it not only repeals and replaces Obamacare, it includes the most significant entitlement reform in a generation and provides needed tax relief to American families and health-care consumers.

"Here in the Senate, we can take another critical step towards stabilizing the healthcare market with consideration of the nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, more commonly known as CMS. We have the opportunity today to advance an extremely qualified nominee to oversee some of our nation's most important health-care programs.

"Seema Verma has a deep health policy background. She's a reformer with a proven record of success. And not only does she have an unparalleled grasp of the complex fiscal and policy challenges facing the agencies she'll be charged with overseeing, she also understands the states and consumers she will be serving.

"She'll be the first to tell you that the sooner we can fulfill our promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, the sooner CMS can get out of the Obamacare business and back into the Medicare and Medicaid business. She understands that Obamacare's raiding of Medicare was wrong -- and her experience developing creative solutions will help protect Medicare for generations to come. She knows the burdens that Obamacare placed on state Medicaid programs remain unsustainable -- and her experience reforming and modernizing state-level Medicaid programs will help lower the staggering costs that the Obama Administration shifted onto states.

"Medicaid expansion has been devastating to Kentucky's state budget, costing Kentucky taxpayers nearly $74 million this year; that's more than double the amount originally projected. Even worse, we have seen little improvement in health outcomes. The current system is too expensive and fails to address the real health problems in Kentucky. Ms. Verma has been instrumental in helping states like mine navigate these incredibly difficult challenges.

"The proposed Medicaid waiver she helped craft for Kentucky with our governor, if approved, is expected to ensure quality care for those who need it while saving Kentucky taxpayers more than $360 million.

"So her expertise is going to be invaluable as we continue fulfilling our promise to the American people. As we move to repeal and replace the unworkable, partisan Obamacare law and return authority to the states, my hope is that Ms. Verma will be able to focus more time and attention than her recent predecessors to the core functions of the agency -- strengthening Medicare and Medicaid.

"She's particularly well-qualified to lead this agency. She has a proven record of success. She's got the skill and the drive to make positive reforms too. I can hardly think of anyone better for the job. I urge colleagues to join me in voting to advance her nomination today."