Earlier this month President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate William G. Dauster of Maryland to be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust fund, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund. If approved, Dauster would serve a term of four years.
It might be of interest that the press release issued on Trump’s intent to nominate Dauster to the post does not provide any background on him. His Linked in page indicates he is a current lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and an adjunct professor at American University. He does have experience as U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate staffer, mainly working for Democratic lawmakers, so it might be a bit of a surprise that this intention to nominate comes from Trump.
The position Dauster is being proposed for is not an insignificant one as the Board of Trustees oversee the financial operations of these programs. Below is more detail of what the Board of Trustees is in charge of.
The Social Security Act established the Medicare Board of Trustees to oversee the financial operations of the HI and SMI trust funds. The Board has six members. Four members serve by virtue of their positions in the Federal Government: the Secretary of the Treasury, who is the Managing Trustee; the Secretary of Labor; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and the Commissioner of Social Security. Two other members are public representatives whom the President appoints and the Senate confirms. These positions are currently vacant. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) serves as Secretary of the Board.
