Berwick Ducks and Weaves Before Congress

With little fanfare, Rationer-in-Chief Donald Berwick, President Obama’s choice to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee and did his best impression of Gumby – twisting and turning his support for rationing health care.

Berwick has championed the British health care system for years proclaiming his outright support of rationing. In 2009, Berwick said, “The decision is not whether or not we will ration care — the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open.” In a 2008 speech, Berwick proclaimed, “I am romantic about the NHS; I love it. All I need to do to rediscover the romance is to look at health care in my own country.” Of course, the British system openly rations care for the sick and the elderly.

But Berwick ran from those statements like a scalded dog before House members who asked pointed questions about his support for rationing care. When Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) asked him whether he supports healthcare rationing, Berwick said, “I abhor rationing.” At another point he said that he spent his whole life fighting rationing, The Hill reports.

Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) asked him whether he was still “in love” with the British healthcare system, Berwick’s response: “There are strengths and weaknesses in every healthcare system in the world. The American healthcare system needs an American solution.”

For fear of stating the obvious, it is clear Berwick was not honest in his testimony.

He cut; ran; ducked; weaved; and twisted his long history of support for a government-run health care system. Worse yet, while the Administration may deny support for rationing, their policies are opening the door to it. Just ask late stage breast cancer patients who have been threatened with the termination of insurance coverage of life-extending drug called Avastin because of cost considerations.

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed to “de-label” the drug, a move that would remove insurance and Medicare coverage for patients. The wealthy would still have access to the drug but everyone else would be forced to mortgage their house to be able to continue to use the drug to save their lives. During consideration of the action, a FDA appointee mentioned the cost of the drug basis for their decision.

Even Berwick’s own department is apparently getting into the act. The office has declared a review of the colon drug Provenge because of its cost.

Republicans should not be buying the snake oil Berwick is selling. The Senate Finance Committee should reject his nomination and should begin to end the initial efforts by our government to ration care for the sick and the elderly.