HHS Secretary Releases Statement Lauding New CMS Administrator

Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has released a statement expressing his support for Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the newly appointed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator.

Brooks-LaSure was formally sworn in by Becerra on May 27 after a bipartisan confirmation by the Senate, the HHS said.

Becerra, a 2021 Wash100 winner, believes that Brooks-LaSure will make positive contributions towards fostering the nation’s health insurance programs and addressing national health care challenges.

Citing their past working experience, he said the new CMS administrator will be willing to find common ground in order to reduce health care costs for American families.

“I look forward to working with Chiquita to strengthen Medicaid, better serve our seniors, expand health coverage, and address the glaring health inequities in communities across the country,” Becerra said in his statement. 

Brooks-LaSure is a health care policy expert with prior experience working in the federal government, Capitol Hill and the private sector. 

She is part of the policy team responsible for the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. 

During her stint as the director of coverage policy at HHS, she took charge of the agency’s implementation of ACA coverage and insurance reform policy provisions. 

In addition, she offered expertise to lawmakers to help pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. 

She started out her career as a program examiner and lead Medicaid analyst for the Office of Management and Budget, where she coordinated Medicaid policy development for the health financing branch.