The U.S. Senate voted Feb. 13, 52-48, to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Senate is still considering the nomination of Mehmet Oz, MD, as administrator of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services.
Additionally, President Donald Trump appointed administrators for key positions overseeing the Medicaid and 340B Drug Pricing programs. Thomas Engels has been sworn in as administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Drew Snyder has been sworn in as deputy administrator for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. Neither position requires Senate confirmation, and both appointees have taken their position.
Engels was previously HRSA administrator from 2019 to 2021 and served on the White House Coronavirus Task Force during Trump’s first administration. HRSA’s Office of Pharmacy Affairs oversees and administers the 340B program.
Snyder recently served as executive director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, where he ran the state program for nearly seven years, and most recently had a brief stint as a director for the Mississippi Healthcare Collaborative.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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