Verma Announces New Office for Regulatory Reform

U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma announced that she is moving to establish an office for regulatory reform as one of her priorities for next year, reports Politico Pro . Verma said the office would seek to reduce "regulatory burden" created by the agency, criticizing how CMS' regulations have hampered providers and beneficiaries. CMS already has committed a team to its "Patients over Paperwork" initiative, and Verma aims to make that effort permanent. Verma also lauded staff for quickly responding to last Friday's court decision that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, suggesting the ruling did not impede ACA sign-ups. "We were able to have a very successful close to open enrollment," she said. Verma restated that Medicare Advantage is the model for how she views the overall Medicare program. Her goals include modernizing Medicare into a beneficiary-oriented program with affordable choices based on market principles that encourage innovation.