Don Berwick's coming out party was a little over an hour long. He was shepherded and sheltered by Finance Committee Dems who ate up the clock with softball questions about how Obamacare repeal would affect seniors. Berwick said disastrous without explaining how stoping cuts in hospice care and Medicare advantage and using comparative effectiveness to delay access to breakthroughs like Provenge are harmful. Republicans didn't even have enough time to clear their throats before the hearing was adjourned.
Berwick recycled comments he has made since the story about his love affair with rationing, centralized decisioning making and the NHS was broke by yours truly: He told the Committee seniors should get "all the care they want and need, when and where they want and need it."
He didn't mention that what people want and need will be limited by what government defines as quality care.
And he already broke his promise by delaying access to Provenge and rationing diabetes strips.
