Instant expertise

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http://www.sptimes.com/2003/12/04/Opinion/Instant_expertise.shtml

 

Instant expertiseA Times Editorial

Published December 4, 2003

 

 

 

The recent effort to reform Medicare and add a complex prescription drug benefit

was controversial enough, considering that a few congressional Republicans wrote

the legislation in private. Now we find out that the nation's top Medicare

official, Thomas Scully, helped draft the bill and is now seeking a position

with businesses that will likely profit from the new rules.

Scully, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is

considering job offers from three law firms that represent the medical and

pharmaceutical industries and two investment groups involved in the health care

field. Scully understands the intricacies of Medicare reform as few others, so

his expertise could be invaluable to those businesses. As a result, he is

expected to earn at least five times his $134,000 government salary.

 

Many Medicare recipients believe they will be worse off under the new rules and

that they were written more to benefit drugmakers and insurance companies than

retirees. Those seeking a drug benefit will have to buy it from private insurers

and accept a large gap in coverage. Also, the federal government won't be

allowed to seek discounts on drug prices, a position that was dictated by the

pharmaceutical industry. Now, the latest revelations about Scully will only

deepen suspicions.

 

No one has suggested that Scully will be receiving a quid pro quo for his work

on the Medicare legislation. He had let it be known for months that he was job

hunting. Yet both Scully and the Bush administration should have realized that

his involvement would appear to be self-serving.

 

In fact, ethics rules in the Department of Health and Human Services require an

employee who is seeking an outside job to stop work on official matters that

involve the potential employer, the New York Times reported. Scully didn't have

to abide by the rules, however, because he was conveniently granted a waiver by

HHS.

 

One of his potential employers - the managing partner of an influential

Washington law firm - acknowledges Scully's potential value. " Tom's recent

experience at the highest levels of the government make him very attractive to

our firm, " said James Duff.

 

Yes, thanks to taxpayers, Scully has become a Washington insider with the

knowledge and connections to manipulate the new Medicare rules to benefit his

next employer. Of course, Scully won't necessarily be acting in the best

interests of Medicare recipients, which gives Americans another good reason to

distrust this legislation.

 

 

 

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