Medicare Chief Jonathan Blum Leaving Obama Administration

The Obama administration's top Medicare official is stepping down from his post. CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum has been with the agency for more than five years. Blum helped oversee the unprecedented release earlier this month of detailed Medicare payment data for 880,000 physicians. Blum was the Obama administration's first political appointee to the CMS in March 2009. Before that he worked on Medicare issues at the Office of Management and Budget.

CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner announced Blum's resignation, effective May 16, in an e-mail to staff. Tavenner's e-mail cited unspecified “new . . .