CNN Piece Profiles CMS Administrator Verma’s Influence on Health Care Reform

A recent article appearing on CNN.com profiles CMS Administrator Seema Verma, and discusses her influence on the drama playing out in Washington DC and around the nation as Republican lawmakers try to make good on the campaign promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Verma has been working with Senate Leader McConnell (R-KY) to sway wavering Republicans on the health care bill, sitting in on meetings and providing data intended to allay concerns. She is also offering support from CMS on how to ease the transition away from the ACA at the state level. Prior to being appointed to head CMS, Verma worked closely with then Indiana Governor Mike Pence as a consultant to design that state’s Medicaid program, and has worked with several other state Medicaid programs as well. That expertise coupled with her current role puts her in a unique position to negotiate with lawmakers and states on what an alternative health care system could look like.