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Indian-American Ms. Seema Verma has been sworn-in as the head of a key healthcare agency in the Trump administration. She would be heading the $1 trillion federal agency that provides health services to 130 million American citizens.

According to the US Vice President Mike Pence, Verma was approved by a 55-43 vote, largely along party lines.  Importantly, in November, 2016, President Donald Trump had nominated Ms. Verma to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Health Department agency that oversees the Obamacare insurance markets, Medicare, and Medicaid. Announcing the appointment, Pence said, “President Trump has chosen one of the leading experts in America on state-based healthcare solutions to lead this important agency. Seema, President Trump has now asked you to bring your expertise to Washington, DC. As Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, we’re confident that you’ll help restore health care decision-making to the states, and in the process, help make the best health care system in the world even better”.

Ms. Verma is the second Indian-American to be inducted into the Trump administration. She was elevated to the top federal position after her successful career in private health sector, spanning two decades.  In the recent years she had played a key role in health care reforms in Indiana, she is also the founder and CEO of SVC Inc., a health policy consulting firm.

Ms. Verma, a first-generation American received her bachelor’s degree in life sciences from the University of Maryland. She earned a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

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