Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today voted against Seema Verma as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:

“I oppose the nomination of Seema Verma to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Nearly half of Californians—more than 17 million people—are covered by Medicare and Medi-Cal, making it critically important that the agency administrator is committed to protecting these programs.

“She has said that the poorest Americans need to have ‘skin in the game’ and pay more for their health care—a popular policy among Republicans. I can assure her that the poorest people in our society already have ‘skin in the game.’

“Verma also made deeply troubling statements in her confirmation hearings, stating that she thought insurance companies should not be required to cover maternity care. Ensuring coverage of essential health services is a key tenet of the Affordable Care Act, and we can’t go back to the days when insurance companies offered consumers plans that didn’t cover care when they needed it.”