Head of Obamacare in Illinois leaves after 5 months

Aug. 14--The top official in Illinois overseeing health insurance plans through Obamacare has left her job after just five months, raising questions about who will oversee the program as thousands of residents prepare to sign up for the third year of enrollment this fall.

Karin Zosel departed Aug. 7 as executive director of Get Covered Illinois, the state's Department of Insurance confirmed Friday.

Zosel took a job as vice president for institutional advancement at MacMurray College, a private college near Springfield with about 500 students, according to a press release issued this week by the college. She previously worked at MacMurray as director of annual giving for about a year before taking the job with Get Covered Illinois in March.

The state gave no reason for her exit, and Zosel did not immediately respond to telephone and email inquiries left at MacMurray College.

"Karin Zosel has been instrumental in leading Get Covered Illinois for the past six months," Alissandra Calderon, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Insurance, said in a statement. "We appreciate her leadership throughout her time with Get Covered Illinois and wish her well in her new endeavor."

This marks the latest disruption to the organization created to promote health insurance sold under the federal Affordable Care Act. Last month, Get Covered Illinois eliminated most of its staff in a move the group attributed to decreased federal funding.

Fifteen positions were eliminated, and the Department of Insurance absorbed the program, which had been part of the governor's office.

The state said it is seeking a replacement for Zosel.

"We are committed to providing Illinois consumers with the tools and resources they need today and look forward to the next open enrollment period" which starts Nov. 1, the department said in a statement.

About 294,000 Illinoisans had health plans that were purchased through the federal marketplace as of the end of March. More than 700,000 Illinoisans have signed up for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act's expansion of the program.

Zosel graduated from Yale University in 2004 with a degree in political science. She worked as an intelligence officer for the CIA for nearly a decade.

Crain's Chicago Business first reported her exit.

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