Don’t Bother Me. Don’t Bother Me. Don’t Bother Me.
The following is from Benjamin Domenech of The Heartland Institute:
I wrote a “live-blog” two weeks ago for The Heartland Institute’s blog from Medicare chief Donald Berwick’s first hearing before the U.S. Senate, where he dodged nearly every question of serious import (and there were only a few). Berwick is clearly not interested in answering any questions at all, from anyone–he avoided journalists, rebuffed a reporter on the way out of the hearing, and actually called hotel security to avoid facing questioners at a conference: “NCQA staff told reporters that Berwick was ‘not going to take any questions leaving, and he has asked us to respect that.’ After one reporter protested, he was escorted from the conference room at the Washington Court Hotel, and Berwick’s staff called hotel security to help find an alternate exit for the public official.”
I don’t see why the reporters are so interested in Berwick–it’s not as if he is one of the most important health policy officials in the nation who has expressed controversial views or refused to testify about lingering conflicts of interest.
If I had as many things to cover up as Berwick does, I wouldn’t want to be bothered either.
I agree with Bruce. I think he is going to be running from reporter’s and Congress’s questions until the day he leaves office.
He’s a recess appointment, Isn’t he done when this congress adjourns?
Good point, Mike. I hope you are right. Of course I guess Obama could appoint him again.
As I recall from the John Bolton UN rep kerfuffle, his appointment is done, and he has to be confirmed by the Senate or is out. Of course Obama could make him a czar. I think we’ve had more czars than Russia.
I know that John Goodman knows this but for those who do not, the title phrase for this post is the opening line of James Taggart in Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand didn’t choose that line to flatter Taggart, as I’m sure John did’t intend to flatter Berwick.
If his conflict of interest is that he intellectually favors the UK’s National Health Service over ours I would say this is more pablum.
At least Berwick’s funding sources are known so potential conflicts of interest can at least be questioned. Compare that to the NCPA that regards it’s funding sources as top secret information.
artk, I thought we had already addressed that. It’s your sources of money that are top secret. The NCPA is regulated by the IRS and all our Board of Directors (who are among our largest contributors) are all public knowledge.
Come to our events, artk. You can meet all the contributors you like if that is what interests you.
Berwick’s funding sources are as murky as anyone’s in health care. Who underwrote his Institute for Healthcare Improvement? Who gave him grants at Harvard? Where did he get funding for his National Demonstration Project on Quality Improvement in Health Care?
If you don’t know his funding sources for these projects, you have no idea how he is going to tilt CMS to advance his funders’ projects.
Thank you Linda. The issue of funding sources is widespread. NCPA should take the lead, post it’s top 20 contributors with the amounts to your web page.
artk, if these things are important to you, why don’t you start the ball rolling by showing everyone your tax return? The NCPA tax return (990 form) is already public.
What nefarious souces of income do you have that cause you to be such a sour puss so much of the time?