Biden Selects CMS Official as Temporary, Acting CMS Administrator

The Biden administration has chosen Liz Richter, the Deputy Center Director of CMS, to be acting CMS Administrator while the new president chooses an official appointee for the role.

As the acting CMS Administrator, Richter will be responsible for carrying out all of the duties of a CMS Administrator.

This includes overseeing programs under Titles XI, XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Social Security Act, specifically Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. She will also be collaborating with state and federal agencies as well as nongovernmental entities in order to finance healthcare in the US.

Richter has a long history with CMS. She has been at the agency since 1990, starting in the Bureau of Policy Development before moving to the Office of Financial Management in 1998, and from there to the Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group in 2003.

This long-time government official has occupied directorial positions at CMS for the past twenty years. Richter has been in her latest role as Deputy Center Director since 2007. As Deputy Center Director, she oversaw policymaking and operations duties for the fee-for-service Medicare program.

Much of Richter’s experience revolves around payment, particularly in fee-for-service Medicare. When she started her career with CMS, she was focused on inpatient hospital payment policy.

When Biden picks a candidate to serve as CMS Administrator, the Senate will have to hold confirmation hearings to determine whether the individual will take on the appointed role.

Richter could be acting CMS Administrator for a month or more as the Senate holds hearings on the Biden administration’s appointees. During the Trump administration’s first year, the Senate did not confirm former CMS Administrator Seema Verma to take over the agency until March 14, 2017, several weeks after the inauguration.

The new administration has tapped its official candidates for other healthcare roles, according to AP News. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is Biden’s pick for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. As an attorney general, Becerra was instrumental in defending the Affordable Care Act in court.

As the acting CMS Administrator in the Biden administration, Richter would be carrying out Biden’s vision for the public healthcare programs.

Biden has promised a public option for healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. But if this more controversial approach fails to pass through Congress, the new president may expand on existing public programs under CMS instead. Some suggestions have included extending the baseline age of Medicare eligibility from age 65 to age 60.

Thus, depending on how Biden’s strategy takes shape, the future CMS Administrator may be involved in that effort.