HHS

The Health and Human Services Administration slates a review of subcontracting deals flowing from Porter Novelli’s $2.25M contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Politico reported March 29 that money from the PR contract went to Republican consultants to burnish the image of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma.

Pam Stevens, a media adviser coached Verma; Marcus Barlow wrote speeches and devised strategy, while Nahigan Strategies’s staffers traveled with the administrator and helped orchestrate announcements, according to Politico.

Four members of the Democratic House and Senate leadership asked for an investigation of the contracts.

HHS notified relevant congressional committees on April 3 that the contracts are suspended pending the review and audit by the inspector general.