Thanks, Secretary Kirwan

Massachusetts Administration and Finance Secretary Leslie Kirwan announced today that she was stepping down from her post. We’re going to greatly miss her remarkable personal commitment to expanding affordable quality health care in Massachusetts.

The job of running ANF, as it’s called in state lingo, is extraordinarily demanding. The state budget and financing world is difficult during good years; during the dramatic turn-down that we’ve experienced the past 2 years, it’s been a never-ending headache. State law imposed on Secretary Kirwan the added responsibility of chairing the Connector Board and the Payment Reform Commission. She devoted enormous energy to these tasks which were peripheral to her core job. She not only worried about the fiscal impact of health policy, but the human impact. Time after time her leadership led to better health care for Massachusetts. She was always concerned about the impact on the most vulnerable. This included paying attention to the sustainability of government programs, and the creative use of government to leverage private efforts.

Her staff was responsive, talented and the most open ANF staff to advocates in generations, and we trust her successor will continue the strong collaboration with the health advocacy community.

The Connector Board will now have three new members – the Secretary of A and F, the Medicaid Director and the Commissioner of Insurance. We will work with the new members as they are appointed to bring them up to speed on the concerns of consumers.

We echo the Connector’s statement, highlighting Secretary Kirwan’s leadership of the board:

The fact that Massachusetts can boast of having the lowest uninsured rate in the country is due in no small measure to Leslie Kirwan’s leadership as chairperson of the Health Connector board of directors. Her unwavering commitment to reform was evidenced not only by how she navigated the board through a sea of difficult policy decisions, but also in her role as the state’s chief financial officer. She fought for the funding necessary to make reform as successful as it is in the face of the worst financial crisis to face us since the Great Depression. Her efforts have greatly improved the lives of hundreds of thousands previously uninsured Massachusetts residents. It’s been a distinct pleasure for both our board and staff to work so closely with her, and we wish her well.
Jon Kingsdale
Executive Director
Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority

Thanks Leslie, on behalf of everyone who’s been affected by your outstanding work.