Baker Appoints New Heads of MassHealth, Health Connector
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker shook up the state’s health care leadership on Thursday with appointments to the head positions of the state’s Medicaid program MassHealth and the state health insurance exchange, the Massachusetts Health Connector.
Baker elevated the position of Director of MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program that serves hundreds of thousands of low and middle income residents, to Assistant Secretary for MassHealth. The position, to be filled by private healthcare systems and services consultant Daniel Tsai, will now report directly to Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders (Baker’s former position back in 1992). A Harvard alumnus, Tsai spent the last eight years working as a partner at the health care branch of the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
“I believe deeply in the mission of MassHealth and the important services it provides for our most vulnerable populations,’’ said Daniel Tsai. “I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to work with Governor Baker and Secretary Sudders to enhance the voice of these individuals in state government.’’
While the state faces the end of open enrollment less than a month away on February 15, Baker has appointed a private sector IT consultant Louis Gutierrez to run the Health Connector as executive director. Gutierrez is returning to the public sector after seven years at Exeter Group, a Massachusetts-based IT consulting firm. Gutierrez worked previously as CIO/CTO at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care during its corporate turnaround (1999-2002), the same time Baker was CEO of the then-struggling company. Gutierrez is not new to the public sector. He was appointed CIO for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1996. Before that, he was the chief technology strategist at UMass Medical School. Gutierrez also served as the CIO for the Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services (HHS). He graduated from Harvard College and MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
The former Executive Director of Mass. Health Connector, Jean Yang, stepped down on January 6 after two years at the post. Maydad Cohen—who was serving as a special assistant to the governor’s office on the Health Connector, the state’s Medicaid program MassHealth, and MassIT—has been head of the Health Connector in the interim. Cohen has been overseeing vendors rebuilding the website since its glitchy open enrollment season in fall 2013.
“Massachusetts has long been a leader in healthcare reform, but we must always look for ways to improve on how we serve those in need and ensure our residents have the information needed to find affordable coverage,’’ Baker said in a statement. “I am confident in Daniel’s ability to fill this new and expanded role as Assistant Secretary to facilitate further cooperation among agencies who assist and care for our Medicaid population, and Louis’ talent will be a welcome voice and mind for those families and individuals searching for quality and affordable healthcare.’’
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