Andy Slavitt, Optum's group vice president, will become principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, officials said. The company he comes from, UnitedHealth, is the nation's largest health insurer.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will also hire a chief executive officer and chief technology officer for the insurance exchanges, said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who was approved by Congress as the HHS secretary on June 9, in a statement obtained by Bloomberg News. Previously, no single person was in charge of the exchanges, a lack of accountability faulted by both foes and supporters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) after HealthCare.gov was found to be riddled with technical errors.
The changes "bring additional operational and technological firepower and have a clear single point of contact in the marketplace CEO to streamline decision-making," Burwell said in the statement.
In his new job, Slavitt will have broad responsibility for all of CMS's operations, including Affordable Care Act programs, Medicare, the program for the elderly and disabled, and Medicaid, the program for low-income people. He will report to the agency's administrator, Marilyn Tavenner.
