New HHS Secretary Reshuffles Obamacare Management

Charles S. Clark | Government Executive | June 20, 2014

In preparation for this fall’s Affordable Care Act enrollment period, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Friday announced a new management structure drawing on recommendations following last year’s messy rollout of Healthcare.gov.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will gain a new operations-focused principal deputy administrator for agencywide policy and operational program coordination, a position to be filled by private sector technology executive Andy Slavitt, formerly of Optum. In addition, a marketplace CEO and a marketplace chief technology officer will soon be hired to focus on the exchanges in 36 states currently being run by the federal government.

“These actions will bolster our team and further instill ongoing accountability for reaching milestones, measuring results and delivering results for the American people,” Burwell said. “Under this new structure, we bring additional operational and technological fire power and have a clear single point of contact in the marketplace CEO to streamline decision-making.”  Slavitt, who led the late “surge” last winter to repair the balky website, will be responsible for cross-cutting policy and operational coordination for the agency’s Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance program and marketplace initiatives; combatting health care fraud; reforming health care delivery; and improving health outcomes, HHS said...