Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius keeps telling her congressional inqusitors to ladle her the blame for the catastrophic introduction of the Obama administration’s health-care rollout, but another of Sebelius’ underlings is making an exit. Michelle Snyder, the second-in-command of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is retiring Monday.
As the agency’s chief operating officer, Snyder supervised the creation of HealthCare.gov, the federal government’s new—and sometimes buggy—health insurance exchange website. Her retirement comes a month after CMS’s chief information officer, Tony Trenkle, quit for a private sector job.
“It’s her personal decision to retire now,” a CMS spokesperson told the New York Times. Snyder has spent 41 years in public service, the agency added.
More than 1.1 million people have purchased insurance through HealthCare.gov since it went live on October 1, the government said last week. Thirty-six states are using the federal exchange; the other 14 states and the District of Columbia have their own sites.
Since the exchange’s debut, Sebelius has been dragged in front of Congress on a regular basis to explain its problems. “Hold me accountable for the debacle,” she said during an October 30 hearing. So far, it’s her subordinates who are going down.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Another Official Involved in Flawed Obamacare Rollout Retires
Michelle Snyder, chief operating officer for Medicare and Medicaid, is stepping down.
Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius keeps telling her congressional inqusitors to ladle her the blame for the catastrophic introduction of the Obama administration’s health-care rollout, but another of Sebelius’ underlings is making an exit. Michelle Snyder, the second-in-command of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is retiring Monday.
As the agency’s chief operating officer, Snyder supervised the creation of HealthCare.gov, the federal government’s new—and sometimes buggy—health insurance exchange website. Her retirement comes a month after CMS’s chief information officer, Tony Trenkle, quit for a private sector job.
“It’s her personal decision to retire now,” a CMS spokesperson told the New York Times. Snyder has spent 41 years in public service, the agency added.
More than 1.1 million people have purchased insurance through HealthCare.gov since it went live on October 1, the government said last week. Thirty-six states are using the federal exchange; the other 14 states and the District of Columbia have their own sites.
Since the exchange’s debut, Sebelius has been dragged in front of Congress on a regular basis to explain its problems. “Hold me accountable for the debacle,” she said during an October 30 hearing. So far, it’s her subordinates who are going down.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
The Missing Men of Mount Pleasant
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
“Mean Mugging” at Ward 8 Candidate Forum Leads to Arrest
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
More from News & Politics
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This July
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
Families of DC Air Disaster Victims Criticize Army’s Response, Trump Settles His Scores Via Tariff, and Police Dog Kicked at Dulles Returns to Work
This DC-Area Lawyer Wants More Americans Betting on Elections
Trump Threatens DC Takeover, Says He’d Run the City “So Good”; Supreme Court OKs Mass Federal Worker Layoffs; and You Should Go Pick Some Sunflowers
Trump Pledges Support for RFK Stadium Plan, Ben’s Chili Bowl Will Strand Us Half-Smokeless for Months, and Pediatricians Are Suing RFK Jr.
Muriel Bowser Defends Her BLM Plaza Decision and Looks Back on a Decade as Mayor