Jason Millman and Julian Pecquet
The Hill
12/15/2010
The White House has invited stakeholders to discuss the healthcare law with the administration’s controversial appointee to head Medicare.
According to a memo obtained by The Hill, the event on Friday with Medicare Administrator Donald Berwick at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House will be the first of several meetings on healthcare’s implementation to be hosted by administration officials.
The invitation from administration health policy adviser Zeke Emanuel [emphasis CAJ], former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s brother, marks a renewed outreach to industry stakeholders from a White House that had initially promised to keep lobbyists at arm’s length. The invitations for Friday’s kick-off meeting were sent to specialty medical societies, which have a lobbying component, according to several sources.
“We are kicking off a series of White House meetings between senior administration officials and healthcare providers to exchange ideas on areas in need of attention,” Emanuel wrote in the invitation. “We invite you (or a representative) and your organization to join us.”
The meeting comes as a number of lobbyists say they’ve noticed more White House outreach toward K Street in the wake of the midterm elections…
…Republicans are still seeking access to Berwick after his testimony before Congress last month — his first Capitol Hill appearance since his July recess appointment…
The article continues at The Hill.
H/T Kosmosnet
