The Senate will vote on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' nomination to lead HHS on April 28, according to the Senate calendar. The Senate Finance Committee previously voted 15-8 to favorably recommend the nomination. Based on that ratio, a vote before the 99-person Senate (that doesn't include a senator from Minnesota) could be 65-44.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), one of the key players leading the charge for comprehensive health reform, gently chided CMS as an institution in his remarks to reporters April 24. "We're going to have to probably breathe new life into CMS," said Baucus, as he outlined a slew of health reform goals, including developing comparative effectiveness policies and implementing health information technology. "CMS is too used to just implementing. They're not that great at designing."

A faithful Part B News listserv poster recently passed along "The Ironclad Rules of Medicare." These rules, which according to one blogger are authored by a former HCFA employee, created a slight buzz among other listserv posters. What are your thoughts? How true are these rules?

Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has been drawing ever larger crowds of reporters recently when he speaks about health reform. This morning, Baucus (D-Mont.) addressed a crowd of more than 50 reporters at the National Press Club in Washington, outlining the legislative path to a health reform bill that he wants finished by summer's end.

There's been a lot of talk about a creating another public healthcare plan or having a private-public solution to cover uninsured Americans (PBN 3/2/09). However, there's also been support for private options that work just as well. On April 22, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) will review how private healthcare companies "are leading the way to reform with innovative and sustainable solutions that are unique to the private insurance market."