Women are continuing to break barriers.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure could soon become the first Black woman to run Medicare Services, reports Business Standard.
Brooks-LaSure has been selected by the Biden administration to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which includes Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and children’s health insurance.
With an extensive career in government, Brooks-LaSure brings expertise from her start as managing director at the Manatt Health consultancy along with her roles in health policy through positions held at Congress, the White House, and CMS during the Obama administration.
She also served as a member of Biden’s transition landing team for the Department of Health and Human Services.
In her role as head of CMS — the agency that oversees government health insurance programs for 1 out of 3 Americans — Brooks-LaSure will play a monumental part in decimating the $4 trillion U.S. health care economy.
CMS is responsible for setting Medicare payment rates for doctors, hospitals, labs, and other service providers along with creating standards for how health care providers operate.
“She gets the imperative of securing greater affordability for beneficiaries, taxpayers, and Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA marketplaces,” said Democratic health policy adviser, Chris Jennings.
Brooks La-Sure will also be responsible for growing Obamacare enrollment as well as convincing stalled states to adopt Medicaid expansion.
“These nominees will help advance President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and build a stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive nation that delivers every American a fair opportunity and an equal chance to get ahead,” said the Biden administration in a statement.
The White House revealed the nominees for the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
If selected, Brooks La-Sure will oversee health insurance for more than 130 million Americans.
