CMS hires new acting Medicaid, CHIP director
Chris Traylor has been named acting director of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) after his predecessor, Mary Mayhew, resigned Jan. 4 after just three months on the job.
Traylor was formerly the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, a state agency that serves more than 5 million people. He has 26 years of experience in public service.
The appointment comes after Mayhew’s abrupt departure, when she announced she was taking a job with the administration of Florida Governor-elect Ron DeSantis.
Along with Traylor’s addition, CMS announced several other staffing changes:
- Marion Couch, MD, PhD, will join the Office of the Administrator in March as senior medical advisor
- Anand Shah, MD, will move to the Office of the Administrator as senior medical advisor for innovation
- Alec Aramanda was appointed to serve in the Office of the Administrator as director of stakeholder engagement
- Karen Aldana joins the Office of Communications as deputy director for communications
- Meredith Good-Cohn has joined the Office of the Administrator as special assistant to the administrator
“We are excited about these changes and what they can help us achieve as we continue to work on our many strategic initiatives this year,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."