Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has put a halt to what appeared to be smooth sailing for Marilyn Tavenner to officially take the helm of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Prior to Wednesday's budget hearing, Harkin put a hold on Tavenner's nomination.
Tavenner, who has been acting administrator of CMS for the past two years, faced a confirmation hearing April 9 and was unanimously approved by the Senate Finance Committee on April 23.
[See also: Tavenner passes first hurdle.]
Harkin told the Associated Press earlier this week that he temporarily put a hold on the full Senate vote to approve Tavenner until an ongoing discussion is established on prevention funding. He said he wants answers on why federal funding for wellness is to be cut from the federal budget.
"I am beyond upset," Harkin told Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the April 24 HHS appropriations hearing. "You don't know how angry I am about this."
Harkin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education said he has spent the better part of two decades promoting disease prevention and wellness in America. He helped to write prevention measures into the Affordable Care Act, which included for the first time a federal budget for preventing disease – the Prevention and Public Health Fund.
"The Prevention Fund works," Harkin said. "Thanks to this funding, more children are being immunized. More people are quitting smoking. More communities are fighting chronic disease. More people are being screened for hepatitis C," he said at the hearing.
"Raiding the prevention fund to figure out how we pay the bills just perpetuates our unique costly American sick care system. I'm sorry to say that this administration just doesn't seem to get it," Harkin said.
Sebelius told Harkin the Obama administration is also concerned about prevention, but has chosen to put the funding into ensuring every American has access to a medical home and health insurance, which includes disease prevention education. Federal funding is also proposed to support other wellness movements, including the first lady Michelle Obama's obesity prevention program, and efforts to eliminate food deserts and tobacco use prevention programs.
It is not clear when Harkin will "lift" his hold on Tavenner's nomination. His office failed to respond to inquries from Healthcare IT News, a sister publication to Healthcare Finance News.