The head of Colorado’s Obamacare exchange is leaving at the end of the month to work with private exchanges at a top health insurance company, the exchange announced Thursday.
Patty Fontneau has served as the exchange’s director since December 2011 but will leave the post in August to become Cigna’s president of Private Exchange Business, The Denver Post reports.
There’s long been a revolving door between the insurance industry and the administrators of the health care law, from Obamacare’s chief author to the Obama administration’s latest appointee to Obamacare agency the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (RELATED: GOP Senators Wary Of Insurer, Admin Ties In Obamacare Implementation)
“This was one of the most interesting, challenging experiences I’ve ever had,” Fontneau said. “We have such a strong team in place. We are financially secure. We are self-sustaining.”
Fontneau attracted controversy throughout her tenure by requesting a raise in December, while the state exchange continued to struggle. After a hefty $14,000 bonus and a 2.5 percent cost of living raise, Fontneau was the third-highest paid director of a state-run Obamacare exchange in May. (RELATED: Depsite Dismal Performance, Colorado’s Obamacare CEO Wants A Raise And A Bonus)
Like many other state-run exchanges, Colorado continues to struggle with how to fund the state exchange after federal grants run out. The exchange board opted to instate a tax on all health insurance companies operating in the state in order to pay for ongoing operations. (RELATED: Colorado Obamacare Exchange Approves Tax On All Insurance Plans)