Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chief Operating Officer Michelle Snyder, who led the development and launch of the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare exchange website, announced her retirement on Monday.
Following Snyder’s departure, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) noted her role in launching the healthcare.gov website despite security concerns.
“Documents and interviews indicate Michelle Snyder’s involvement in bypassing the recommendation of CMS’s top security expert who recommended delaying the launch of healthcare.gov after independent testers raised concern about serious vulnerabilities from a lack of adequate security testing,” Issa said.
As a result of the agency’s desire to launch the website on Oct. 1, Issa added, the online health exchange has become an “all around work in progress” and Americans have been forced to shoulder its risks.
CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said Snyder initially planned to retire at the end of 2012 but stayed on for an additional year to help with the development and launch of healthcare.gov.
Tavenner praised Snyder’s intelligence, experience and work ethic in announcing her retirement.
“Michelle’s accomplishments over her career have been numerous and wide-ranging…” Tavenner said.