Marilyn Tavenner on implementing Obamacare — and then lobbying to change it

At the start of 2015, Marilyn Tavenner held one of the most important jobs in health care: Implementing Obamacare, as the head of CMS. Six months later, she'd swapped it for a completely different major role: Lobbying to change Obamacare, as the head of America's Health Insurance Plans. It's an unusual career shift, and it's given Tavenner — a long-time government official turned top lobbyist — a rare perspective on the changes unfolding in the industry. Tavenner talks about her early career as a nurse (2:20), her experience working for Tim Kaine in Virginia (5:30), the bumpy launch of Healthcare.gov and what Steven Brill's book gets wrong (9:45), what she'd have done differently as head of CMS and what she thinks of her successor Andy Slavitt (14:25), how she's doing on her top priorities and the reasons behind her unusual move from CMS to AHIP (17:50), the state of the health insurance industry (26:30), and what she sees ahead for Obamacare, Donald Trump, and more in 2016 (33:15). Plus: POLITICO's Paul Demko joins Dan to discuss his reporting on the health insurance industry. (39:50) We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices