The run up to passage of the health reform bill has left a gaping hole for Obama to fill — that of CMS head. (Tom Daschle obviously didn’t work out.) The NYT has a concise wrap of the apparent indifference the White House has given to the issue of exactly who will be running Medicare, and it goes so far as suggesting that it is an issue that is secondary at the moment. Obama’s lack of attention in this area is yet another indictment, for some, of his lack of key leadership in spite of his commitment to health reform as his number one domestic policy point.

Given that whomever Obama appoints to the position passes Senate confirmation, the enormity of the task leading CMS will require talent health policy watchers have rarely seen in this position. Overseeing the development of multiple insurance exchanges along with the possible formation of payment advisory commissions, oversight bodies and demonstration projects in the midst of the most sweeping federal legislation in decades is not for the faint of heart. Can’t wait to see his appointee’s qualifications. | LINK

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