Washington, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent letters to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma and The MITRE Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Jason Providakes today requesting briefings in response to a report that the rewrites of certain regulations have been subcontracted to private sector consultants that may have conflicts of interest. Medicaid is the largest health insurance program in the nation, covering more than 74 million Americans.
“The Committee has a longstanding interest in ensuring that our government operates in a transparent and impartial manner," Pallone wrote to Verma. “The subcontracting of private sector consultants - some of whom may maintain close relationships with industry - to assist in writing regulations raises a number of issues, including possible conflicts of interest, given the number of parties that could be affected by these rule changes."
Pallone is requesting that CMS and The MITRE Corporation provide separate briefings to Committee staff by Dec. 18, 2017, in order to better understand what protocols they have in place to ensure that the contracting work being performed is free of undue influence.
