MEDICAL ECONOMICS
Under new management An interview with TDI’s newest boss BY AMY LYNN SORREL The
end of the 2013 session of the legislature marked the beginning of new leader- ship at the Texas Depart- ment of Insurance (TDI) as Gov. Rick Perry appointed Julia Rathgeber to the helm of the agency in late May. The Senate unani- mously confirmed that ap- pointment in June.
While Commissioner Rathgeber has no direct ex- perience in the insurance industry, she was Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s deputy chief of staff for the past 10 years, and every piece of insurance legislation that passed the Texas Legisla- ture then crossed her desk at some point. In the health care arena, she worked on everything from the land- mark 2003 tort reforms and legislation authorizing preferred provider organi- zations (PPOs) and exclu- sive provider organizations (EPOs), to a new law the legislature passed this year that has TDI spearheading the development of standardized preauthorization forms. But Commissioner Rathgeber’s new job does not come
the state’s decision to re- main hands off.
Nevertheless, she re- mains focused on the future of an agency she wants to be perceived as transparent and fair, yet tough on enforcement. In an interview with Texas Medicine in late August, Commissioner Rathgeber said her job is “pretty sim- ple. We are going to follow the law and implement it.”
Texas Medicine: You don’t have a background in the insurance industry, but you do have a law degree and experience working in the Texas Legislature and other state offices. Tell us a little bit about how you got to this new position.
Julia Rathgeber says she will focus on transparency as the new head of the Texas Department of Insurance.
Commissioner Rathge- ber: I’ve worked for the state for almost 23 years, and I absolutely love it. I love government. I love participating in govern- ment, and I’ve been par- ticipating in it in a lot of
without some challenges. She takes over from former Com- missioner Eleanor Kitzman, who failed to win reappointment and left physicians with some serious concerns after removing consumer protections from the network adequacy regulations approved by her predecessor, Mike Geeslin. Commissioner Rathgeber also is searching for ways to help Texans grapple with a new health insurance exchange despite
different capacities. I was not prepared for entering this agen- cy, but when Governor Perry offered it to me as an option, I was thrilled. It’s a new challenge with new ideas and new people and new issues. It just sounded like a lot of fun, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a good time in your job. I do feel I was hired to manage an agency full of insurance experts. I have quite a bit of experience working on major pieces of legislation that affect the insurance industry. So I was familiar with the insurance terminology. I also have
October 2013 TEXAS MEDICINE 37
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TDI
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