Public Policy Partners has been tracking Governor O’Malley’s appointments to leadership positions. With the volume of new appointments, we will be busy ensuring our clients are renewing and strengthening their working relationships with public policy leaders:
On the newly created Health Benefit Exchange Board of Trustees:
- Georges Benjamin, MD
- Lisa Dubay, PhD
- Darrell Gaskin, PhD
- Jennifer Goldberg, JD, LLM
- Enrique Martinez-Vidal, MPP
- Thomas Saquella, MA
- DHMH Secretary Joshua Sharfstein, MD
- MIA Commissioner Therese Goldsmith
- MD Health Care Commission Interim Executive Director Ben Steffen
New Commissioner of the MD Insurance Administration: Therese Goldsmith
The newly created Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform Executive Director: Carolyn Quattrocki
New Secretary of the Department of Human Resources: Ted Dallas
In addition, the Maryland State Board of Education named Bernard J. Sadusky Interim State Superintendent of Schools.
Maryland is poised to be one of the most proactive states in implementing federal health reform. The Health Benefit Exchange Board held its first organizational meeting on June 3rd. The next meeting is scheduled for June 27th at 1:00 p.m. (location to be announced). Anyone with an interest in the progress of the Exchange and continuing implementation of federal health care reform should consider attending as this meeting will be the beginning of substantive policy discussions to shape the Exchange for Maryland.
The Health Care Reform Coordinating Council has announced its next meeting will take place on July 11th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Joint Hearing Room in Annapolis.
The Maryland General Assembly is planning a special session for this fall, most likely in October, to focus on a redistricting plan. However, there are reports that other issues may also be addressed, especially issues related to the State’s budget crisis, such as a gas tax to help restore the Transportation Trust Fund and public pension funding changes. Any legislator can introduce any bill during a special session, but all bills are assigned to the Senate and House Rules Committees. Only the issues leadership agrees to tackle are brought forth. As more information becomes available about specific dates and/or issues, Public Policy Partners will let clients know.
Congratulations to all of our clients with whom we worked to achieve legislative successes! If you attended a bill signing in the State House, you can look at those photos on the Governor’s website www.photos.maryland.gov.
Congratulations to the Maryland Women's Coalition for Health Care Reform for its recognition in Families USA's State Health Beat. The "Buzz Around the States" section featured the Coalition's Report on the Health Insurance Exchange: http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/state-information/state-health-beat/april-2011.html
