President Barack Obama appointed health expert Donald Berwick on Wednesday to run the Medicare and Medicaid programs that provide care to seniors and the poor, bypassing the Senate to fill a key job over Republican objections, Reuters reported. Obama had nominated Berwick in April to run the vast federal medical programs but his Senate confirmation was held up by Republicans who expressed worries that he would ration healthcare as a way to reduce costs. Berwick, a professor of pediatrics and of public health at Harvard, also served as head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit organization that works to improve healthcare throughout the world. The president has the power to fill top federal vacancies that would normally require Senate approval while the Senate is in recess. Many presidents have used this power to get around Senate objections. -- SPA
