Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Miller to Leave Post Aug. 21; Chief of Staff Altman to Take Helm
August 22, 2017 by Thomas Harman
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has chosen Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller to head the state’s Department of Human Services beginning Aug. 21, with Insurance Department Chief of Staff Jessica Altman being named interim commissioner.
Miller will be the acting secretary at DHS until lawmakers vote to make her the full DHS secretary, Insurance Department Director of Communications Ronald Ruman said. Lawmakers have 30 business days following their Sept. 11 return to do so, he said.
Wolf previously had nominated Miller to take over a new executive branch agency that merged Human Services with the Department of Health, the Department of Aging and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (Best’s News Service, May 24, 2017). But Ruman said lawmakers have not considered the proposal to merge the agencies. In an email to state employees, Wolf reiterated his belief she would be the right person to lead such a merger if it occurs, but was now naming her to head the DHS. “I am confident she will bring her same passion and commitment displayed at Insurance to lead DHS,” Wolf said.
Altman was hired as Miller’s chief of staff to coordinate policy activities throughout the department and with other state agencies and external groups, the insurance department said earlier this year. Altman had worked for three years to implement the Affordable Care Act at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, where Altman’s roles included coordinating all of CCIIO’s policy activities.
Miller has been insurance commissioner since the state Senate confirmed her nomination in June 2015 (Best’s News Service, June 9, 2015). She recently has been advocating for the federal government to continue making Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reduction payments through 2018 to help states stabilize health insurance exchanges and warned insurer rate hikes would substantially increase if payments were not made (Best’s News Service, Aug. 1, 2017). The Trump administration recently announced it would make CSR payments through August (Best’s News Service, Aug. 17, 2017).
(By Thomas Harman, Washington Bureau manager, BestWeek: Tom.Harman@ambest.com)