Donald Trump the American President elect has nominated another Indian American after Nikki Haley into his team. “I am pleased to nominate (Dr) Seema Verma to serve as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” Mr Trump said in a statement.
“She has decades of experience advising on Medicare and Medicaid policy and helping states navigate our complicated systems. Together, Chairman Price and Seema Verma are the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans,” Mr Trump said.
“I am honoured to be nominated by President-elect Trump today,” said Dr Verma, who met Mr Trump in New York last week. “I look forward to helping him tackle our nation’s daunting healthcare problems in a responsible and sustainable way,” she said.
“Verma has extensive experience redesigning Medicaid programmes in several states. Verma is the architect of the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), the nation’s first consumer directed Medicaid programme under Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana and then-Governor Pence’s HIP 2.0 waiver proposal,” said the presidential transition team.
Dr Verma has received her Master’s degree in Public Health, with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University, and has her Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the University of Maryland. She has served as the state of Indiana’s health reform lead following the passage of Obamacare in 2010.
Dr Verma has worked extensively on a variety of policy and strategic projects involving the Medicaid, insurance and public health, working with the Governors’ offices, state medicaid agencies, state health departments, state departments of insurance, as well as the federal government, private companies and foundations.
By Premji
