Michelle Snyder, the health official who oversaw the rollout of Obamacare, or the Affordable Health Care Act, is retiring.
Snyder, the COO of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, was in charge of day-today activities and decisions like the budget.
Technology experts who built the website for Obamacare--HealthCare.gov, which has been rife with problems--reported to her, reported the New York Times, citing administration officials who said she was retiring.
Snyder had “41 years of outstanding service,” said Marilyn Tavenner, the administrator of the centers.
While we celebrate her distinguished career, we are also sadly saying farewell to a good friend and a key member of the agency’s leadership team,” Tavenner said in an email to agency employees. “Michelle’s intelligence, experience and formidable work ethic have been indispensable to me and to many of you during her tenure.”
Snyder’s deputy, Tim Love, will fill Snyder’s position for now.
Snyder’s retirement was a personal decision, an agency official said. She had planned to retire at the end of 2012 but stayed at the job at Tavenner’s request, according to Tavenner.
A former official said: “She had to go. She was responsible for the implementation of Obamacare. She controlled all the resources to get it done. She was in charge of information technology. She controlled personnel and budget.”
Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, said in a Congressional haring in October that Snyder was responsible for developing HealthCare.gov, but quickly added that Snyder “is not responsible for those debacles.”
“Hold me accountable for the debacle,” she said. “I’m responsible.”
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