A lawyer by training, Xavier Becerra helped draft the Affordable Care Act as a congressman, but he is not steeped in infectious disease. His tenure will be defined by how he handles the fallout from Covid-19.
The order expands on a presidential promise by trying to reduce the prices Medicare pays for prescription drugs, but experts said it was unclear whether the White House could carry out the directive.
A yearlong investigation into Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, showed the cozy relations that fuel the nation’s capital at taxpayer expense.
The administration now says failure to report Covid-19 data to the Department of Health and Human Services could cost hospitals Medicare and Medicaid funding.
An inspector general’s audit said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service used communications contractors for work that should have been performed by public servants.
If successful, the move would permanently end the health insurance program popularly known as Obamacare and wipe out coverage for as many as 23 million Americans.
White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney wants to see if the Medicare chief Seema Verma and the health secretary, Alex M. Azar II, can still work together.