Seema Verma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seema Verma
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 15th Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services | |
| In office March 14, 2017 – January 20, 2021 |
|
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Marilyn Tavenner |
| Succeeded by | Chiquita Brooks-LaSure |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 26, 1970 Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BS) Johns Hopkins University (MPH) |
Seema Verma (born September 26, 1970) is an American healthcare leader. She is currently a general manager and executive vice president at Oracle Corporation. From 2017 to 2021, she served as the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This important agency helps manage health programs like Medicare and Medicaid. During her time at CMS, she worked on changing parts of the Affordable Care Act and making updates to Medicaid.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Seema Verma was born in Virginia. She is a first-generation Indian American, meaning her parents came to the U.S. from India. Her family moved several times when she was young. They lived in different places, from small towns like Joplin, Missouri, to bigger cities near Washington D.C. She also lived in Taiwan for five years.
In 1988, she finished high school at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland. She then went to the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned a bachelor's degree in life sciences in 1993. Later, in 1996, she received a master's degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Her studies focused on health policy and how healthcare is managed.
Career in Healthcare
Starting Her Career
Before joining the government, Seema Verma worked in different healthcare roles. She was a vice president at the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. She also worked for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in Washington, D.C.. These early experiences helped her learn a lot about public health.
Leading SVC, Inc.
In 2001, Seema Verma started her own company called SVC, Inc. It was a consulting firm that helped states with their health policy plans. Her company worked with state health agencies to put the Affordable Care Act into action. SVC, Inc. also helped states like Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Kentucky create new programs to expand Medicaid.
One of her notable projects was helping Indiana develop the Healthy Indiana Plan. This plan offered health insurance options to people with lower incomes. It included health savings accounts where people contributed a small amount each month. She also helped states make changes to their Medicaid programs through special agreements called Section 1115 waivers.
Rules for Public Officials
During her work, some questions were raised about her company's contracts. This was because her firm worked for the State of Indiana, while she also worked for a company that was a big Medicaid provider for Indiana. These situations can sometimes lead to concerns about whether a person's different roles might conflict. Reports from government watchdogs later looked into how funds were used for communication services during her time in public office.
Working for the Trump Administration
.jpg)
In November 2016, President-elect Donald Trump chose Seema Verma to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This agency is very important because it manages Medicare, Medicaid, and the health insurance markets. The United States Senate approved her nomination in March 2017.
As CMS Administrator, she focused on making changes to healthcare programs. She suggested that states could ask Medicaid recipients to pay small fees or require them to work or get job training. She believed that Medicaid should focus more on people who are elderly, disabled, or have dependent children. She also supported efforts to change or replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which she called a "failure."
She oversaw a reduction in funding for the ACA Navigator Program. This program helps people sign up for health insurance. She also spoke out against "Medicare for all" proposals, saying they could harm the existing Medicare system for older Americans.
During her time at CMS, she worked on the White House Coronavirus Task Force starting in March 2020. In this role, she helped make temporary changes to rules for hospitals and healthcare providers to help them deal with the pandemic.
After the Trump Administration
After leaving the Trump administration in January 2021, Seema Verma joined the boards of several healthcare companies. In April 2023, she became a general manager and senior vice president at the Oracle Corporation. By January 2024, her role expanded to executive vice president, where she now oversees Oracle Health.
Personal Life
Seema Verma was born in Virginia. She moved around the United States with her family and lived in Taiwan for five years. She and her family now live in Carmel, Indiana, which is part of the greater Indianapolis area.
