Evers’ pick for DHS secretary plans to improve healthcare affordability, access

Andrea Palm, Gov.-elect Tony Evers’ pick to lead the Department of Health Services, said Thursday that she plans to improve healthcare affordability and access.

Palm told reporters she wants to work with lawmakers, healthcare stakeholders and others to improve the health and well-being of Wisconsinites.

“We all have family members, friends and colleagues who have pre-existing conditions, who have difficulty affording their prescriptions or who live in rural areas that lack a dentist or an OB-GYN or essential behavioral health treatment programs,” she said at a press conference live streamed by WisconsinEye. “These are among the most pressing issues that Wisconsin families face and they hit closest to home. But they are also issues that are fundamental to the success of each of our communities and the state as a whole.”

Palm was most recently senior counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama. There, she oversaw the agenda for public health and human services agencies that employed more than 60,000 people.

Palm has also served in leadership positions for New York Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton and California Democrat Rep. Bob Matsui, according to a statement from Evers.

She was a senior advisor at the White House Domestic Policy Council during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Palm told reporters that she wants to “find common ground” between the Evers administration and the Republican-controlled Legislature on healthcare issues.

“It will be critical that we listen to Wisconsin families and stakeholders as we develop these plans,” she said. “I’m anxious to get out and around the state to do just that.”

Eric Borgerding, Wisconsin Hospital Association CEO, said they plan to discuss healthcare access and quality as well as sustaining recent health insurance coverage gains with Palm and other policymakers.

“We have accomplished much, have much more to do, and look forward to meeting Secretary-Designate Palm and working with the Evers Administration and the Legislature,” he said in a statement.

Disability Rights Wisconsin Executive Director Lea Kitz said in a statement that she was pleased that Palm “has already sent strong signals about her interest in working with stakeholders and families as the department’s plans develop.”

Wisconsin Personal Services Association Legislative Chair Todd Costello appreciated Palm’s remarks on healthcare access.

The association wants to work with her and lawmakers to “develop bipartisan solutions to the direct care workforce crisis that will ensure access to these critical, community-based services,” he said in a statement.

“Long-term care advocates greatly appreciate Secretary-designate Palm’s commitment to involving stakeholders in the development of her agency’s plans,” Wisconsin Long-Term Care Coalition Co-Chair Lynn Breedlove said in a statement. “We look forward to working with her and Governor-elect Evers to ensure that Wisconsin’s long-term care system continues to be one of the best in the nation.”

Evers also tapped Emilie Amundson, chief of staff at the Department of Public Instruction, to lead the Department of Children and Families.

He named Dawn Crim, assistant state superintendent for the Division for Student and School Success, secretary of the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

And he chose outgoing Sen. Caleb Frostman, D-Sturgeon Bay, to lead the Department of Workforce Development.

All picks are subject to Senate confirmation.

Editor’s note: Updated with comments from Disability Rights Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Long-Term Care Coalition and the Wisconsin Personal Services Association.

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