The Senate Finance Committee is meeting this morning to consider President Barack Obama’s nomination of Marilyn B. Tavenner for administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The Obama administration’s quest for a permanent head for CMS has been a rocky one. Tavenner, who had been serving as CMS principal deputy, became acting CMS administrator in December 2011, when then-administrator, Don Berwick, MD, stepped down after Republican lawmakers blocked his renomination.
The Senate Finance Committee -- the body mandated to approve such presidential nominations -- failed to hold a nomination hearing in 2012 for Tavenner. Tavenner’s nomination expired at the close of 2012, and Obama re-nominated her on Feb. 7 of this year.
According to the White House, Tavenner served as principal deputy administrator of CMS since February 2010. Previously, Tavenner served as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources in the administration of former Gov. Tim Kaine.
Before entering government service, Tavenner spent nearly 35 years working with healthcare providers in significantly increasing levels of responsibility, including almost 20 years in nursing, three years as a hospital CEO and 10 years in various senior executive level positions for Hospital Corporation of America. She has served as a board member of the American Hospital Association and as president of the Virginia Hospital Association. Tavenner holds a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in health administration, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Tavenner’s hearing comes as significant pressure mounts in Washington over budget issues that threaten federal Medicare and Medicaid spending. During her time as a temporary head of CMS, Tavenner continued the work Berwick, her predecessor, started. Berwick was involved in the planning and implementation of health reform, and pushed the idea of “the triple aim” of improved patient-centered care that bolsters population health at a lower cost.
Unlike Berwick, Tavenner has not been as controversial a figure. She is expected to continue to hold bipartisan support, however, the history of confirmations under the Obama administration has been steeped in political wrangling.