Yesterday evening, the Obama Administration announced it was renominating Dr. Donald Berwick to be head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The White House formally nominated Berwick last year as well, but installed him via recess appointment to avoid a contentious Senate confirmation hearing. Berwick has been on the job since July 2010.

Berwick’s current recess appointment is good until the end of this year. I was among those who (naively) thought the Administration might allow Berwick’s appointment to expire, so the post could be filled with someone who wasn’t knighted by the Queen of England for his work with the much maligned UK’s National Health Service. Well, apparently, the Administration and Berwick himself think this is a battle worth fighting. And a battle it will be. Reports Politico:

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called the renomination “a disappointing decision.”

“A day after the president committed to coming together to move our country forward, he’s chosen to renominate one of his most contentious nominees to head an agency that impacts the lives of more than 100 million Americans,” said Hatch, who is the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee.

That the White House is willing to spend more political capital on Berwick could mean any number of things.