Counihan to take helm of HealthCare.gov

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has hired Kevin Counihan, Connecticut’s Health Insurance Exchange CEO, to lead the national health insurance marketplace.

As marketplace CEO, Counihan will preside over HealthCare.gov and be responsible for managing relationships with state marketplaces and leading the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, which regulates health insurance at the federal level. He will report to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said in a statement that the hiring of Counihan is part of the agency’s work to build “strong teams with the focus and know-how necessary to advance our mission and deliver impact for the people we serve.”  

Of Counihan, she said he “brings additional operational and technological expertise to the position and will be a clear, single point of contact for streamlined decision-making.”

The agency cited Counihan’s work as leader of the successful implementation of the Connecticut insurance exchange. Enrollment exceeded expectations and the state’s uninsured rate dropped from 7.9 to 4 percent. “Nine states have contacted Connecticut’s exchange about implementing its technology,” according to HHS.