“What: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has been nominated by the Biden administration as the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator. She will be facing an array of challenges ranging from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the future solvency of Medicare, to a wholesale review of dramatic changes in the federal agency.
Why: With the Biden administration implementing sweeping policy changes across the board, the new CMS administrator will be tasked with building a forward-looking agency while addressing a legacy of challenges and pressures. Here are the top four areas demanding attention:
Imminent threat of Medicare insolvency: In September 2020, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a worrisome outlook on the solvency of the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A hospital stays, skilled nursing facilities as well as hospice care. The CBO forecasted the HI fund would become insolvent by 2024, a full two years sooner than originally forecast by an April Medicare Trustees report. Facing economic impacts from the pandemic and increased baby boomer enrollments, the new CMS administrator can help restore longer-term solvency…”
“Accelerating CMS innovation and advocacy momentum: CMS has historically been a leader in promoting healthcare data innovation. The new administrator can reinvigorate that charge by:
Going beyond the information blocking rules and transforming data practices to improve reporting, access, exchange, and use of electronic health information (EHI)…” Read the full press release here.
Source: Wolters Kluwer Highlights Top Four Challenges Facing New CMS Administrator, Chiquita Brooks -LaSure, February 22, 2021. Business Wire.
