CMS Administrator Tavenner and FDA Commissioner Hamburg to Step Down

Marilyn Tavenner, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), announced plans to resign at the end of February.

Tavenner was a former nurse and hospital executive. She has served as CMS administrator for five years, overseeing the rollout of HealthCare.gov and country's largest expansion of the Medicaid program. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisles backed Tavenner, whose announcement comes one month after the departure of CMS Deputy Administrator Cindy Mann.

Principal Deputy Administrator Andrew Slavitt will assume the title of acting administrator following Tavenner's departure. A permanent replacement will require a nomination by the president and Senate confirmation.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg will also step down at the end of March. Dr. Hamburg was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2009, making her one of the longest serving FDA commissioners of the modern era. During her final year at the agency, the FDA approved 51 new therapies – the most in almost 20 years.

The FDA's chief scientist Dr. Stephen Ostroff will fill Hamburg's post until a new commissioner is named.