Insurers applaud Medicare chief nominee

WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- U.S. health insurers Friday applauded the president's nominations for Medicare chief and deputy secretary of Health and Human Services.

The nominee for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, Kerry Weems, "has a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare system and the implications of federal pubic policy for those who depend on public programs and the taxpayers who fund them," said Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive officer of America's Health Insurance Plans, the largest health insurance industry group.

"His experience on an array of issues, including health information technology, combined with his record of public service make him well equipped to help the federal government meet the needs of beneficiaries who depend on (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)."

Deputy secretary nominee Tevi Troy is a "distinguished expert in domestic public policy," Ignagni said.