[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1238-E1239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING RICHARD (``RICK'') FOSTER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DAVE CAMP

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with my colleague the Ranking 
Member of the Ways and Means Committee Sander Levin to recognize and 
thank Richard (``Rick'') Foster, the Chief Actuary at the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for his service to the nation. 
Rick retired this year after nearly 40 years of public service, 
including the last 18 years as the chief actuary.
  Mr. Foster and his colleagues in the Office of the Actuary (OACT) 
have provided valuable guidance through the years to Members of 
Congress and their staffs on both sides of the aisle as we have worked 
to improve Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance 
Program. OACT's estimates are used to calculate key indices and other 
measures used throughout Medicare's payment systems. OACT also manages 
the widely used and often cited National Health Expenditure (NHE) 
account data and projections, which measure national health spending 
trends in both public programs and the private sector. Whether 
responding to technical or confidential requests

[[Page E1239]]

or engaging in the annual tasks required by law and custom, Mr. Foster 
and his staff were responsive and thoughtful as they offered their best 
professional efforts.
  Mr. Foster began his career in the Federal government in 1973 at the 
Social Security Administration (SSA), working on the development of 
Medicare payment rates for health maintenance organizations when 
Medicare was managed through the SSA. He later served as Deputy Chief 
Actuary at SSA for 13 years before being selected as the CMS Chief 
Actuary in 1995.
  OACT's role is often behind-the-scenes, but critically important. Mr. 
Foster has been widely recognized for his tireless efforts to ensure 
that Congress and the Administration have access to high-quality, 
objective actuarial, economic, and statistical assistance, provided 
independently and on a nonpartisan basis and often with a dose of good 
humor. His adherence to the highest levels of professional independence 
and ethical conduct has been widely acclaimed and is deeply 
appreciated.
  In addition to his exceptional actuarial and other technical skills, 
Mr. Foster was an accomplished leader at CMS. He led OACT's 
implementation of team-based operations in 1995, based on the 
successful model developed by General Electric. He emphasized 
professional development for all staff, continuous improvement in all 
projects, a cordial, cooperative work environment and a multi-
disciplinary approach to work. Under his guidance, the Office of the 
Actuary achieved the highest or second-highest results in the annual 
human capital survey every year since its inception.
  During his career, Mr. Foster has earned numerous prestigious awards, 
including the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Outstanding 
Alumnus of the Year in 1997, the Presidential Meritorious Executive 
Award in 1998 from President Clinton, the Presidential Distinguished 
Executive Award in 2001 from President Bush, the Secretary's Award for 
Distinguished Service in 2004, the College of Wooster Distinguished 
Alumni Award in 2006, the Robert J. Myers Public Service Award from the 
American Academy of Actuaries in 2006, and the Society of Actuaries 
President's Award in 2010. The readers of Modern Healthcare magazine 
voted him one of the 100 most influential persons in health care in the 
U.S. for the last six years.
  We are pleased to honor and commend Rick Foster for his distinguished 
career in public service and wish him all the best in retirement.

                          ____________________