Health Exchange CEO Quitting

Feb. 15--James Wadleigh, CEO of Access Health CT, Connecticut's quasi-public health exchange agency, will step down in April, officials announced Thursday.

His impending departure was disclosed in a media statement by Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, chairwoman of Access Health's governing board. There was no mention of any new job Wadleigh is heading to -- after six years at the health agency, the final three as its chief after having served as chief information officer.

"I have been extremely lucky to be part of a team that has been leading the nation since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act six years ago," Wadleigh said in the press release issued by Wyman. "This was a difficult decision, but I know the Access Health CT team will continue to provide the value to the many individuals and families that need our services."

"I want to thank Jim for his great work at AHCT, and for his commitment to the people of Connecticut," Wyman said. "Our health care exchange has been held up as a national model, and that's because we've had strong leaders at the helm and a great team in place. Jim has been a tireless advocate for an exchange that used every opportunity to educate and be available to consumers, to help them through the selection and enrollment process, and ensure enrollees understand how to use their new insurance."

Gov. Dannel Malloy said that, along with Wyman, "Jim Wadleigh deserves a tremendous amount of credit for ensuring that Access Health CT remains a national leader."

Access Health has "strengthened outreach initiatives" with Wadleigh in charge, "and, as a result, enrollment has steadily risen," Wyman's statement said, adding: "Connecticut had its highest enrollment this cycle and currently has 108,000 residents with health insurance coverage through AHCT."

No issues of controversy were mentioned in connection with Wadleigh's decision to leave.

In early December, however, The Courant reported that four high-ranking Access Health managers were quietly fired from 2015 to 2017 for reasons that remain a mystery -- and that they received a total of $376,229 in severance pay.

That severance total was criticized by Ellen Andrews, executive director at the Connecticut Health Policy Project, a New Haven-based nonprofit research and educational organization that seeks to improve access to affordable health care. Andrews said she was "stunned" by the total, adding that it "would have gone a long way toward a community outreach campaign to get people into the program" and help them make better decisions in choosing health insurance."

No explanation was given by Access Health CT or Wadleigh for the "involuntary termination" of most of the top-management team he inherited when promoted to CEO in February 2015.

The four -- and their former job titles and salaries -- are Steven Sigal, chief financial officer, $211,000; Peter Van Loon, chief operating officer, 182,000; Tamim Ahmed, executive director of the All-Payer Claims Database, $182,000; and Virginia Lamb, general counsel, $176,000.

Access Health CT, based in Hartford on the 15th floor at 280 Trumbull St., has 86 employees and an annual budget of $30.6 million. It was created by the state legislature in 2011 to meet the requirements of the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly called "Obamacare."

Malloy also said: "With President Trump and Republicans in Washington pulling no punches in their attacks on the Affordable Care Act -- from shortening the enrollment period to eliminating cost-sharing reduction payments -- the work of Access Health CT has been both more difficult and more important than ever in the past year. I commend Jim for his efforts on behalf of Connecticut residents."

Wadleigh's base salary as CEO is $225,000. It can be supplemented by a bonus of up to 7.5 percent at the discretion the Access Health board according to his to his current three-year contract, which runs through this coming June.

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