HEALTHCARE/MIKE PENCE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “A Medicaid expert and close associate of Vice President Mike Pence has emerged as one of the most influential advocates of the Obamacare repeal effort.
Seema Verma, who runs Medicare and Medicaid for the Trump administration, keeps a low public profile, but behind the scenes, she’s been guiding skeptical Republican senators and governors through the Obamacare repeal proposals and reassuring them that their states will do just fine under the new Medicaid financing system it envisions.
Verma is one part conservative health expert — the reforms she enacted in Indiana’s Medicaid expansion for then-Gov. Pence are celebrated across the party — and one part former consultant, who can boil down the complexities of Medicaid into layman’s terms…
In recent days, as the Senate tries to revive an Obamacare repeal effort that’s on death’s doorstep, Verma has been an almost constant presence in Capitol Hill and White House meetings. But her involvement goes back to the spring’s House debate, when she was working on apprehensive House members, too. Since the Senate took up the health bill, she, as well as Pence and to a lesser extent HHS Secretary Tom Price, have been at almost every Tuesday GOP lunch meeting to meet behind closed doors with senators.”
-Jennifer Haberkorn and Rachana Pradhan, “Pence ally emerges as key proponent of Obamacare repeal,” Politico, July 21, 2017 05:36am