Burwell meets with health insurers ahead of O-Care enrollment

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell met with more than a dozen top health insurance executives Thursday in preparation for ObamaCare’s second enrollment period.

The meeting, which included both state and national insurance officials, included discussion of affordability on the exchanges and how best to maximize enrollment with only three months for people to sign up.

{mosads}Burwell is taking a hands-on approach to ensuring the marketplaces do not stumble on Nov. 15, as they did last year — a failure that cast a shadow over the tenure of her predecessor, Kathleen Sebelius.

Key executives at the meeting Thursday included Karen Ignagni, president of the trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans; Joe Swedish, CEO of Wellpoint; Mike Dudley, CEO of Optima; and Bernard Tyson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente.

Burwell also announced Thursday that HHS chief of staff Andrea Palm would be promoted to senior counselor, the latest in a series of personnel moves ahead of November.