Wallack Will Lead HealthSource RI

Governor-elect Gina Raimondo this week announced the appointment of Anya Rader Wallack, Ph.D., as Director of HealthSource RI (HSRI), Rhode Island’s health insurance exchange.

Wallack has a long career in state health policy, including serving two Governors in Vermont and working on Massachusetts health care reform.

“Anya brings the right mix of policy expertise, management skill and innovative thinking to this job,” said Governor-elect Raimondo. “We need a leader who can establish HSRI as a sustainable and affordable organization that provides clear return-on-investment to Rhode Island families and employers.”

Raimondo praised outgoing Health Source Director Christine Ferguson, and said, “Christy exhibited vision and tenacity under difficult circumstances to implement the affordable health care act. She helped create our exchange from scratch in order to make health care more accessible to Rhode Island families and businesses. We appreciate her service to our state.”

Wallack served from 2011-2013 as the first Chair of the Green Mountain Care Board in Vermont, a regulatory agency that oversees insurance rates, hospital budgets and health care payment innovation. Since 2013, she has chaired the Vermont Health Care Innovation Project, which aims to overhaul provider payment, health information technology and care coordination in the state to achieve cost containment while maintaining high quality care. Much of Wallack’s work has focused on cost containment efforts in healthcare, including her role as member and chair of the Cost Containment Committee of the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council from 2008-2010.

Wallack holds a Ph.D. in social policy from Brandeis University. She lives in Little Compton with her husband, Stan, and their son.

“We are excited to add another great person to our team,” said Joy Fox, transition director. “When it comes to personnel, we are focused more on quality than on moving quickly. We are making great progress, but we fully expect to continue filling positions even after Inauguration Day.”

Photo Courtesy: Brandeis University