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.
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.
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.
The move came two days after a federal court blocked similar requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky and reaffirmed the administration’s conservative priorities.
The administration tells older Americans to “check out Medicare Advantage,” but denies favoring the private plans over the original government-run Medicare program.
The Trump administration has proposed reducing the number of prescription drugs that must be made available to people with cancer, AIDS, depression, schizophrenia and certain other conditions.
Consumers seeking health insurance will see relatively stable premiums when open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act starts Thursday, but there will be fewer sources of advice and assistance.
Medicare Advantage plans will be allowed to cover adult day care, home modifications and other new benefits. But they may not be available to all enrollees every year.
The Trump administration said it would suspend a program that stabilizes markets by paying billions to insurers that enroll many unhealthy people under the Affordable Care Act.