University of Maryland graduate Seema Verma was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday morning to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
“I am honored to be nominated by President-elect Trump today,” Verma told Politico on Tuesday. “I look forward to helping him tackle our nation’s daunting healthcare problems in a responsible and sustainable way.”
After getting a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from this university in 1993, Verma later founded SVC Inc., a health policy consulting firm located in Indiana, and now serves as the president and CEO, according to SVC’s website.
In a statement, Trump praised Verma for her “decades of experience advising on Medicare and Medicaid policy and helping states navigate our complicated systems.”
Verma shares close ties to Vice President-elect and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. She pioneered his Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0, which aimed to expand Medicaid coverage, according to the SVC website. She is also known for her efforts in Medicaid reform programs in several states, such as Iowa, Ohio and Kentucky.
Verma joins Georgia Rep. Tom Price, who was tapped Tuesday morning to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
Price is an outspoken critic of the Affordable Care Act, and together, Trump called the two “the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans.”
