Dr. Donald Berwick, who was appointed by President Barack Obama to run the country’s Medicare and Medicaid programs in 2010, quietly announced earlier this week that he would be running for Massachusetts governor in 2014.
A pediatrician and self-described progressive, Berwick is known throughout the country as a top leader and advocate for health care reform, the Boston Globe reported Tuesday.
He was Obama’s recess appointment in 2010 to lead the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, but resigned after 17 months when Republicans vowed to block his confirmation. He is currently a lecturer on health care policy at Harvard Medical School.
“It’s about the future,” Berwick told the Globe of his run. “I have two grandchildren. I want to hand them a planet and community that is really thriving.”
Berwick joins a potentially crowded gubernatorial field on the Democratic side. Physician Joseph Avellone has already announced that he would run. State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Rep. Michael E. Capuano and State Sen. Dan Wolf are all considering or being talked about for a Democratic nomination bid.
