We are delighted to share the news that our friend and CHIR colleague, Mila Kofman, has accepted the position of Executive Director of the health insurance exchange in the District of Columbia. Many CHIRblog readers know Mila from her successful stint as the Superintendent of Insurance in Maine, where she was nominated and unanimously reconfirmed for a second term. You may also know of her more recent work as a technical advisor to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health Reform Assistance Network.
The D.C. exchange will be in competent, experienced hands as it charts a course to open enrollment in 2013 and beyond. Mila is a nationally renowned expert on private health insurance markets and has hands-on experience implementing health reforms, both in Maine and as a federal regulator working with states to adopt the HIPAA reforms in the 1990s. Throughout her career, Mila has been a strong advocate for health care consumers. For example, as Superintendent of Insurance, she ushered in unprecedented transparency in the agency’s review of premium rates, giving consumers affected by rate increases a real voice in the process. Her field hearings and work with consumer groups to assess proposed rate increases were recognized by the White House and became a model for other states.
While at Georgetown she conducted ground-breaking research on health insurance scams that harm consumers and was recognized in 2007 by the American Council on Consumer Interests.
She is also a highly effective administrator. In Maine, she restructured the Bureau of Insurance to clear backlogs and improve services, while also building and maintaining effective alliances with business groups, the insurance industry, consumer and patient advocates, and other stakeholders.
It is no wonder that the D.C. exchange board has tapped Mila to use her skills and talents to serve the people of the District. We wish her the best of luck!
Stay tuned to CHIRblog for more updates on health reform and the development of health insurance exchanges.