Verma Sought To Have Taxpayers Reimburse Her For $47,000 In Stolen Jewelry, Property In Work-Related Trip
The government ultimately reimbursed CMS Administrator Seema Verma $2,852.40 for her claim. HHS has a longstanding policy of paying for certain goods when they are lost during a work trip, so long as they “are not inherently for other uses." Meanwhile, tensions between Verma and HHS Secretary Alex Azar have reportedly escalated to a point that an outside counsel was brought in to investigation allegations of sex discrimination.
Politico:
Medicare Chief Asked Taxpayers To Cover Stolen Jewelry
A top Trump health appointee sought to have taxpayers reimburse her for the costs of jewelry, clothing and other possessions, including a $5,900 Ivanka Trump-brand pendant, that were stolen while in her luggage during a work-related trip, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. Seema Verma, who runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, filed a $47,000 claim for lost property on Aug. 20, 2018, after her bags were stolen while she was giving a speech in San Francisco the prior month. The property was not insured, Verma wrote in her filing to the Health and Human Services department. (Diamond, 12/7)
Axios:
Tensions Among Alex Azar, Seema Verma Led HHS To Call For Outside Probe
The Department of Health and Human Services took the extraordinary step of bringing in outside counsel earlier this year to investigate allegations of sex discrimination, Axios has learned — a sign of how badly the working relationship had deteriorated between Secretary Alex Azar and Medicare chief Seema Verma. (Swan and Owens, 12/6)
In other news —
Modern Healthcare:
Seema Verma's Bold Initiatives Land Her In No. 1 'Most Influential' Spot
Seema Verma doesn’t shrink from a fight, and she’s had plenty of them since she became CMS administrator in March 2017. The former Medicaid consultant has championed many policy initiatives that have polarized the healthcare world. While her agenda and personal style elicit controversy, veteran CMS watchers give Verma credit for boldly articulating and pursuing her vision of strengthening market forces to improve healthcare quality and access, and reduce costs. That includes goosing the sluggish transition to value-based payment. (Meyer, 12/6)
Modern Healthcare:
100 Most Influential People In Healthcare
The 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare awards & recognition program honors individuals in healthcare who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential individuals in the industry, in terms of leadership and impact. This program allows for readers to vote for their top choices and selected honorees will be published in Modern Healthcare's annual ranking. (12/6)
And elsewhere in the administration —
The Washington Post:
FDA Warns Liveyon For Selling Unapproved Umbilical Cord Blood Products
The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it had issued a warning to a California company for making and selling unapproved umbilical cord blood products, and for “significant deviations” from safety practices that create serious risks for patients injected with the stem cell therapy. A year ago, the company, Liveyon, based in Yorba Linda, was tied to the distribution of another manufacturer’s contaminated umbilical cord blood products that sickened 12 people in three states. (McGinley, 12/6)
