Penn. Insurance Commissioner to be Nominated for New Health, Human Services Agency

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has announced his intention to nominate current Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller to serve as the inaugural secretary of the prospective unified Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Miller has served as Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner since January 2015, where she has worked on a range of issues, including the administration’s top priorities of fighting the heroin and opioid epidemic and helping seniors.

“Teresa Miller has established herself quickly in Pennsylvania as a leader in her field, an advocate for consumers and the less fortunate and an effective administrator whose department quickly found new success in a challenging national environment,” Wolf said in a press release issued by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. “Over the past two years, Commissioner Miller has fought to protect health care for seniors and kids, increased the department’s efforts for consumer protection and education and made the department more transparent.”

Wolf proposed integrating the Departments of Aging, Drug & Alcohol Programs, Health, and Human Services into a new, unified Department of Health & Human Services to “deliver public health, social and human services to Pennsylvanians in the most efficient way by fostering innovation, creative thinking and practical solutions.” Over the past several months, Wolf worked closely with each of these four agencies to identify and break down silos and address the best way to deliver critical services.

In addition to this initiative, Wolf also announced his intention to nominate Jessica Altman, current Insurance Department chief of staff, to be Miller’s eventual replacement.