After 9 months of hell for seniors not being able to get or afford their necessary medications, look who decides to resign:

Mark McClellan will step down from his post as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the White House said Tuesday. “The president has the highest regard for Mark McClellan and appreciates the work he’s done for the administration,” said White House press secretary Tony Snow, according to the Associated Press. McClellan, who had previously headed the Food and Drug Administration, was tapped in 2004 to head the CMS, the agency responsible for the implementation of the Medicare prescription drug program. News reports this week said McClellan was expected to step down soon and would likely join a think tank.

I wonder if this story from a couple of weeks ago had anything to do with his sudden decision:

The federal government erroneously has reimbursed about 230,000 Medicare recipients for monthly premiums they paid this year for prescription drug coverage. For many, the checks — totaling nearly $50 million — have already arrived.

The refund will undoubtedly cause confusion, particularly because it comes with a letter that mistakenly instructs older people that their monthly premiums will no longer be deducted from their Social Security check.

Mark McClellan, who oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said people who get the check need to know two things. One, the money has to be returned. Two, their prescription drug coverage will continue.

“It’s very important for people to know their coverage is continuing,” he said. “There’s no disruption at all.”

To put it mildly Medicare has been a cluster fuck under the Bush administration. I can’t help but think this is a way for Bush to try and get some of those vital senior votes this fall, especially since the senior age group attributes to the highest turnout in mid-term elections. I have enough confidence in our seniors though to know they won’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors that operate out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They went through hell this year because of a screwed up Medicare revamp and that revamp was not created by or passed by McClellan – it was the creation of Bush and the Republican Party.