HHS Insurance Oversight Office To Become Part Of Medicare Agency

[SpartanDem]

A health reform office charged with overseeing the insurance industry is about to be folded into the federal Medicare agency, signaling a major organizational shift just months after the office was created.

Health officials made the announcement to staffers Wednesday, officials at both the Medicare and insurance oversight agencies told Shots. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, attended the meeting.

The Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight was created to guide the implementation of key parts of the health overhaul law. Its director, Jay Angoff, a class-action litigator who took on insurance companies, was appointed to lead the group in April

One possibility is the administration is seeking shelter for its embattled health programs in the larger Medicare agency. Republicans, who this week won control of the House, have scheduled a vote on repealing the health law for Jan. 12 and threatened to defund individual programs if the repeal effort fails, a likely outcome

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/01/05/132686083/hhs-insurance-oversight-office-to-become-part-of-medicare-agency

Sounds like a good way to keep the GOP from completely defunding implementation

[karynnj]

1. This is an interesting move - and I agree with you that it could help

protect it, though the Republicans will likely go after Medicare as well.

[ProSense]

2. It is. Republicans

would love to cut Medicare, but they're in a tough spot.

Their recent campaign to portray themselves as defending Medicare from Democratic cuts backs them into a corner.

Republicans need the senior vote so they're going to have to get really creative to attack Medicare.