[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 41 (Thursday, March 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1703-S1704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NOMINATION OF SEEMA VERMA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this week, the House unveiled its plan 
to repeal and replace ObamaCare and began consideration through the 
committee process. It is an important step toward keeping our promise 
to the American people. It not only repeals and replaces ObamaCare, it 
includes the most significant entitlement reform in a generation and 
provides needed tax relief to American families as well as healthcare 
consumers.
  Here in the Senate, we can take another critical step toward 
stabilizing the healthcare market with consideration of the nominee to 
lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, more commonly 
known as CMS. We have the opportunity today to advance an extremely 
qualified nominee to oversee some of our Nation's most important 
healthcare programs.
  Seema Verma has a deep health policy background. She is a reformer 
with a proven record of success. Not only does she have an unparalleled 
grasp of the complex fiscal and policy challenges facing the agencies 
she will be charged with overseeing, she also understands the States 
and consumers she will be serving.
  She will be the first to tell you that the sooner we can fulfill our 
promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare, the sooner CMS can get out of 
the ObamaCare business and back into the Medicare and Medicaid 
business. She understands that ObamaCare's raiding of Medicare was 
wrong, and her experience in developing creative solutions will help 
protect Medicare for generations to come. She knows the burdens that 
ObamaCare placed on State Medicaid Programs remain unsustainable, and 
her experience in reforming and modernizing State-level Medicaid 
Programs will help lower the staggering costs that the Obama 
administration shifted onto the States.
  Medicaid expansion has been devastating to Kentucky's State budget, 
costing Kentucky taxpayers nearly $74 million this year. That is more 
than double the amount originally projected. Even worse, we have seen 
little improvement in health outcomes. The current system is too 
expensive and fails to address the real health problems in Kentucky.
  Ms. Verma has been instrumental in helping States like mine navigate 
these incredibly difficult challenges. The proposed Medicaid waiver she 
helped craft for Kentucky, along with our Governor, if approved, is 
expected to ensure quality care for those who need it while saving 
Kentucky taxpayers more than $360 million. So her expertise is going to 
be invaluable as we continue fulfilling our promise to the American 
people.
  As we move to repeal and replace the unworkable, partisan ObamaCare 
law and return authority to the States, my hope is that Ms. Verma will 
be able to focus more time and attention than her recent predecessors 
to the core functions--the core functions--of the agency, which are 
strengthening Medicare and Medicaid. She is particularly well qualified 
to lead this agency. She has a proven record of success. She has the 
skill and the drive to make positive reforms too. I can hardly think of 
anyone better for the job.
  I urge colleagues to join me in voting to advance her nomination 
later today.

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