Senate Finance Committee Votes on Seema Verma to Head CMS

This week the Senate Finance Committee is voting on approving Seema Verma to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The committee’s initial vote on Wednesday was a tie and a later vote did not count because it included proxy votes which do not count under committee rules. A final vote was expected Thursday and it appears the committee will approve her nomination and send it to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

During Ms. Verma’s confirmation hearing early in February, Senator Sherrod Brown (D – OH.) asked a question about Observation Status. Ms. Verma indicated that she wants to improve it and said she would work with providers and hoped to review concerns about access to skilled nursing facilities. She also indicated she did not favor turning Medicare into a voucher program.