Covered California Prepares for Changes to Board of Directors
Covered California is preparing to make the first major changes to its board of directors since the state-run insurance exchange was created four years ago, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Background on Covered California Board
Under the bill (SB 972) that created the state exchange, the governor is required to appoint two members to the board, while the Assembly and state Senate appoint one member each. The California Health and Human Services Agency secretary is automatically instated as a voting member of the board.
According to the AP/Chronicle, board members must have some health care experience, but they also can qualify as:
- Enrollment counselors;
- IT experts; or
- Health insurance marketers (Lin, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 12/29/14).
Changes to Covered California Board
Diana Dooley, chair of the exchange and California HHS secretary, has announced that:
- Board member Robert Ross, CEO of the California Endowment, will step down Dec. 31 so that the new Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León (D) can appoint a new director; and
- The terms of board members Susan Kennedy and Kim Belshé are set to expire, and Gov. Jerry Brown (D) will decide whether to reappoint them or name replacements (California Healthline, 12/16/14).
As a result, Brown will have a greater influence on Covered California's five-member board as it continues to work to reduce the number of uninsured Californians and reduce health care costs.
Rep.-Elect Norma Torres (D-Calif.), who authored SB 972 as a state senator, said, "With three board seats open, the governor and [state] Senate now have an opportunity to implement SB 972 in the way it was intended: by appointing a new majority to the board that is more representative of California's population, particularly those who need insurance" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 12/29/14).
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