STAT+: Former Trump White House, HHS aide Abe Sutton likely to lead Medicare, Medicaid innovation center

WASHINGTON — Former Trump administration health policy aide Abe Sutton is incoming President Trump’s likely pick to lead the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, two sources familiar with the plans told STAT. 

Sutton would work under the surgeon and television personality Mehmet Oz as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, if Oz is confirmed by the Senate. The pick is one of the first indications of how Oz’s team will be built out in Washington. 

The CMMI director has authority to experiment with new ways to pay for physician services, cancer treatment, and prescription drugs, among other things. The center has faced criticism after congressional budget analysts estimated that its pilot programs cost the government money instead of saving money in its first 10 years of operation. 

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