For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 5, 2006

President's Statement on Dr. Mark McClellan Resignation as CMS Administrator

Mark McClellan has served my Administration in a number of pivotal positions, and in doing so has bettered the lives of millions of Americans. He played an instrumental role in transforming the Nation's health care system, and his efforts will continue to make a difference for generations.

Mark first served as a member of my Council of Economic Advisors, focusing on health care and related economic issues. He then became head of the Food and Drug Administration, where he provided steady leadership to empower consumers and to ensure rapid access to products that are safe and effective. For the last two and a half years, Mark has run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. As CMS Administrator, Mark was critical in the successful implementation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit -- the most important health care reform in 40 years. He has also worked to ensure that price and quality information are available to consumers, and led reforms that brought principles of private sector competition to government programs, thereby moving the country toward a system in which Americans will receive better care at lower overall prices.

Mark has been a trusted advisor and he leaves behind a strong record of accomplishment. I wish all the best to Mark, his wife Stephanie, and their children.

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