Senate Confirms New CMS Administrator

On May 25, the U.S. Senate confirmed — by a vote of 55-44 — Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to serve as the CMS administrator. CMS is responsible for running the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Brooks-LaSure is an experienced health policy professional who worked in HHS during the Obama administration to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She also served as a professional staff member of the House Ways and Means Committee, where she assisted with the passage of several health care laws, including the ACA and the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.

In speaking for the Surgical Care Coalition — of which the AANS and the CNS are founding members — AANS/CNS Washington Committee chair, John K. Ratliff, MD, FAANS, noted, “Chiquita Brooks-LaSure has a track record of addressing our nation’s most significant health care challenges. Her deep experience and commitment to improving health care on behalf of patients are needed as our country faces many significant health care policy decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”