PROVIDENCE – After dedicating more than 35 years to state service in Rhode Island, state Health Insurance Commissioner Marie L. Ganim announced Wednesday that she plans to retire in early January.
In her place, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo is set to nominate former Medicaid Director Patrick M. Tigue.
Ganim became the state’s health insurance commissioner in 2017 after decades of experience in the executive and legislative branches of government. She has worked at the federal, state and municipal levels.
“I am extremely grateful for Commissioner Ganim’s service to the state and her steadfast commitment to health equity and affordability,” said Raimondo in a statement. “Ensuring that all Rhode Islanders have access to high-quality, affordable health care has always been one of my top priorities, and it is especially critical in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Under Ganim’s leadership throughout the pandemic Rhode Island became a national leader in expanding the use of telemedicine in response to the public health crisis. In addition, she led the helm to create an annual “cost trend” target to curb annual health care spending, instituted mental health parity audits to improve mental health and substance use disorder service provision by Rhode Island’s major health insurers, and created the Behavioral Health Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation to support community-based providers.
“Everybody in [the] office is so dedicated to ensuring fairness and equity in everything we do; it is engrained in us,” Ganim told the Providence Business News in August. “To have that recognized, to have that impact made us all very proud and happy. It’s humbling work. There is always more to be done.”
According to announcement, the governor submitted Tigue’s name to the State Senate Wednesday for advice and consent to fulfill Ganim’s role.
In his previous role as Medicaid director, Tigue handled an annual budget of approximately $2.5 billion to serve nearly 300,000 residents. Prior to serving as Medicaid director, he was the director of commercial products at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island where he oversaw commercial product line and design, rate development, federal regulatory compliance, among other responsibilities.
According to Wednesday’s announcement, early in Tigue’s career, he served as principal policy associate in the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner where he was said to have enhanced the efficiency of the Rhode Island health care system.
Alexa Gagosz is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Gagosz@PBN.com. You may also follow her on Twitter at @AlexaGagosz.
