It isn't hard to put one over on this Congress since the Democrat majority doesn't have the faintest idea of what they are voting for, but in the case of Dr. Donald "Death Panel" Berwick, the Congressclowns didn't even get to vote. Obama, our Liar-in-Chief appointed Dr. Donald Berwick to run Medicare and Medicaid in April and the Democrat leadership in the Senate had not even bothered to hold confirmation hearings, but that didn't keep the Kenyan village idiot from blaming mysterious Republican obstructionists and giving the doc a recess appointment.
Of course, there may have been a method to the Donk leadership's dereliction since Dr. Berwick is not exactly a prime candidate. Berwick's claim to fame is that he has a lucrative sinecure running a nonprofit with unknown sources of funding which allows him the leisure to pontificate on how great the appalling British National Health Service is and and how a bit of medical care rationing would sort out Medicare funding problems. That'll sure please the folks back home! I hope Granny and Gramps are feeling OK so that they don't have to get judged by a Berwick death panel any time soon.
Setting aside his moonbat pronouncements, the basic problem is that Berwick has no experience running any sort of large healthcare establishment or insurance program - the only experience he has is running his mouth. Of course that means he would fit right in with the amateurs in the White House, but more sensible people can reasonably question why he is qualified to run the second largest medical insurance program in the world. Besides his willingness to ration medical care to Obama specifications, that is.
