Microsoft Veteran Assumes HealthCare.gov Helm

HealthCare.gov has a new czar to replace fix-it guy Jeff Zients: Microsoft veteran Kurt DelBene. As Zients leaves to lead President Obama’s economic council, DelBene will take over management of the federal insurance marketplace Wednesday December 18, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced in a blog post.

HealthCare.gov has a new czar to replace fix-it guy Jeff Zients: Microsoft veteran Kurt DelBene.

As Zients leaves to lead President Obama’s economic council, DelBene will take over management of the federal insurance marketplace Wednesday December 18, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced in a blog post.

The former head of Microsoft Office and current husband of Washington State freshman Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (another Microsoft veteran), he faces perhaps not the immediate crisis of widespread dysfunction that Zients corrected but the long-term goal of ensuring a smooth experience for at least 80 percent of users — especially young Americans, who according to one recent survey mostly plan to stay away from exchanges for now at least.

DelBene will be serving as HealthCare.gov czar through the first round of enrollment, having comitted to leading the multi-agency, multi-contractor team for at least the first half of 2014, Sebelius noted.