EPA chief becomes head of HHS

Health Management Technology, Jan, 2005

Environmental Protection Agency chief Michael Leavitt will replace Tommy Thompson as secretary of Health and Human Services. Leavitt, 53, Utah's governor for 11 years before joining the Bush administration in late 2003, will lead one of the largest departments of the U.S. government with an annual budget of more than $500 billion and 67,000 employees. The HHS secretary oversees Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Indian Health Service.

Leavitt's challenge will include leading the charge on implementing the Medicare prescription drug program in 2006 and medical liability reform and finding ways to reduce the cost of healthcare. Thompson, 63, a former four-term Wisconsin governor resigned as HHS secretary on Dec. 3, 2004.