Press Reports: Biden Picks Brooks-LaSure for CMS Administrator job
Her selection leaves the FDA commissioner's post as the only top healthcare job for which Biden hasn't made a pick.
President Joe Biden has picked Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to be his CMS administrator, according to reports today by the Washington Post and Politico.
Brooks-LaSure was reported to be the frontrunner for the job, so this afternoon's news is not a surprise. Both the Post, which broke the story, and the Politico, depended on unnamed sources. Biden has not made an official announcement.
The selection of Brooks-LaSure means that the FDA commissioner's position is last top healthcare job in the new administration for which Biden hasn't made a pick.
Related: Woodcock vs. Sharfstein for FDA Commissioner
Although not well known outside of healthcare policy circles, Brooks-LaSure is fairly well known within them.
She was a senior HHS official during the Obama administration and played a role in implementing and enforcing the rules of the ACA. She also worked on Capitol Hill as a Democratic staffer on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, according to the Post. She is currently a managing director at Manatt Health.
The Senate confirms CMS administrators so her reported selection by Biden does not mean automatically stepping into the job.
Brooks-LaSure earned a masters in public policy in 1999 and her bachelor’s degree from Princeton in 1996, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Conversations With Perry and Friends
April 14th 2025Perry Cohen, Pharm.D., a longtime member of the Managed Healthcare Executive editorial advisory board, is host of the Conversations with Perry and Friends podcast. His guest this episode is John Baackes, the former CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan.
Listen
Breaking Down Health Plans, HSAs, AI With Paul Fronstin of EBRI
November 19th 2024Featured in this latest episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast is Paul Fronstin, director of health benefits research at EBRI, who shed light on the evolving landscape of health benefits with editors of Managed Healthcare Executive.
Listen
Why Better Data and Awareness Matters for Medicaid Work Requirements
April 17th 2025With policymakers considering work requirements for Medicaid eligibility, Jennifer Haley, principal research associate in the Health Policy Division at the Urban Institute, said it’s more important than ever to understand how those changes could unintentionally cause harm, particularly when data systems fall short and public awareness is limited.
Read More
