From Dow Jones:

U.S. Senate Republican leaders Thursday said they would stall confirmations of Health and Human Services officials until the Obama administration rescinds a recent order that stems from a controversy surrounding health insurance giant Humana, Inc. (HUM).
In a letter to Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Senate Minority Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and seven other Senate Republicans called for the administration to remove what it called a “gag order” on health insurance companies. The move comes after Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, told insurers Monday to “suspend potentially misleading mailings to beneficiaries about health care and insurance reform.”
The senators warn that, until CMS reverses its actions, they “will not consent to time agreements on the confirmation of any nominees” to the Department of Health and Human Services and “associated agencies.”
At issue is a probe of Humana’s marketing practices by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The agency on Sept. 18 ordered Humana to cease telling its enrollees to call their lawmakers about proposed cuts to privately run Medicare plans, known as Medicare Advantage plans.