Seema Verma BACKGROUND Personal Information: Seema Verma Education: University Of Maryland, BA College Park, MD (LinkedIn Accessed 11/21/16) AND Johns Hopkins, MA Baltimore, MD (LinkedIn Accessed 11/21/16) Work Experience: 2001 – Present: SVC Inc., President, Owner (LinkedIn Accessed 11/21/16) Prior To 2001: Health & Hospital Corporation Of Marion County, Vice President Of Planning (SVC Inc., Accessed 11/21/16) Prior To 2001: Association Of State And Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Director (SVC Inc. Accessed 11/21/16) Revolving Door: No Records Found QUESTIONS FOR SEEMA VERMA Political Vulnerabilities Consulting Business/State Contracts Background: Verma was simultaneously advising Indiana ($3.5 million in contracts) on issues impacting how it would spend Medicaid funds while she was also being paid by a client that received Medicaid funds. Ethics experts have called the arrangement a conflict of interest that potentially put Indiana taxpayers at risk. • Is there anything that the President-elect’s team should be made aware of as it pertains to your consulting arrangement with the state of Indiana? • Are there other clients of your consulting service that may fuel similar ‘conflict of interest’ accusations? • Should you join the administration would you agree to temporarily sever ties with your consulting firm, SVC Inc.? Consulting Business/HHS Funds Background: In 2014, Verma’s consulting firm (SVC Inc.) received $170,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services. • Can you provide documentation that fully states the services your firm provided to HHS in 2014? • Is there anything we should know related to your consulting work for HHS that could create media turbulence should you join the administration? Expansion of Medicaid/Embracing of Obamacare Background: Verma is considered the architect of Indiana’s health care program, which included expanding Medicaid under Obamacare. • Do you have any reservations embracing the President-elect’s plan to fully repeal and replace Obamacare? • How do you value fiscal responsibility versus meeting the healthcare demands of the American public? Policy Questions Department of Health and Human Services Policy • How would you go about dismantling the Affordable Care Act and are there any policies or programs that you would want to keep for future plans or as standalone initiatives? • What would you prioritize in the formulation of a new healthcare plan? • The repeal of the Affordable Care Act will leave many Americans without insurance and unsure about future insurance prospects. What safeguards would you implement to ensure that people who still want coverage are able to get it while new policies are created and implemented? • What role do you see HHS as playing with regards to private insurance companies? Is it a regulator or a facilitator? • What changes would you make to Medicare to keep costs down while keeping the program intact for those who rely on it? • What reforms, if any, would you suggest to the Medicaid program, such as eligibility changes or expansion of coverage, and how would you keep costs down given these changes? • HHS oversees the TANF program in addition to other social service programs. What services do you see as most critical to assisting needy families, and would you expand or shrink any? • The FDA is under the purview of HHS. Would you suggest any changes in how the FDA regulates and classifies its material? TRUMP-PENCE CRITICISM No Records Found. CHAIRMAN/RNC COMMENTS No Records Found. GENERAL CONTROVERSY Criminal History No Records Found. Bankruptcy No Records Found. CONTROVERSIAL POLICY STANCES/STATEMENTS No Records Found. POLITICAL ACTIVITY Political Affiliation According To GOP Data Center, Seema Verma Is Listed As An Unaffiliated Voter In Indiana And She Is Not Listed On Lexis With Regard To Voter Registration. (GOP Data Center and Nexis, Accessed 11/21/16) Political Contributions No Relevant Records Found BUSINESSES/ASSOCIATIONS Verma Was Advising Indiana On Issues Impacting How It Would Spend Medicaid Funds While She Was Also Being Paid By A Client That Received Medicaid Funds From The State In 2014, Seema Verma Was Labeled As The Architect Of Gov. Pence’s Signature Health-Care Plan. “Meet the architect of Gov. Mike Pence's signature health-care plan, Seema Verma. For more than a decade, the little-known private consultant has quietly shaped much of Indiana's public health-care policy. The state has paid her millions of dollars for her work amid a potential conflict of interest that ethics experts say should concern taxpayers.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) Verma’s Consulting Firm, SVC, Inc., Has Received More Than $3.5 Million In State Contracts. “Largely invisible to the public, Verma's work has included the design of the Healthy Indiana Plan, a consumer-driven insurance program for low-income Hoosiers now being touted nationally as an alternative to Obamacare. In all, Verma and her small consulting firm, SVC Inc., have received more than $3.5 million in state contracts.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) At The Same Time, Verma Worked For One Of Indiana’s Largest Medicaid Vendors, A Division Of Hewlett-Packard, Who Paid Her More Than $1 Million In Fees And “Landed $500 Million In State Contracts During Her Tenure As Indiana’s Go-To-Health-Care Consultant.” “At the same time, Verma has worked for one of the state's largest Medicaid vendors a division of Silicon Valley tech giant Hewlett-Packard. That company agreed to pay Verma more than $1 million and has landed more than $500 million in state contracts during her tenure as Indiana's go-to health-care consultant, according to documents obtained by The Indianapolis Star.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) The Former Head Of The State Agency Administering Verma’s Contract Told A Local Newspaper That Verma Once Attempted To Negotiate With State Officials On Behalf Of Hewlet-Packard, While Also Being Paid By The State. “But the recently ousted head of the state agency administering Verma's contract told The Star that Verma once attempted to negotiate with state officials on behalf of HewlettPackard, while also being paid by the state. HP said it can find no one in its company with any recollection of such a meeting. Verma declined to answer further questions about her work with the state or HP.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) Verma’s Duel Roles Raised Ethical Concerns, But Verma Has Said “Unequivocally” That She Played No Role In HP’s Contracts With Indiana. “Verma's dual roles raise an important question: Who is she working for when she advises the state on how to spend billions of dollars in Medicaid funds Hoosier taxpayers or one of the state's largest contractors? In a written statement, Verma said unequivocally that she played no role in HP's contracts with the state. ‘SVC has disclosed to both HP and the state the relationship with the other to be transparent,’ Verma said. ‘If any issue between HP and the state presented a conflict between the two, I recused myself from the process.’” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) Ethics Experts Consulted By The Indianapolis Star, Called The Arrangement A Conflict Of Interest That Potentially Puts Indiana Taxpayers At Risk. “Verma's dual roles have surprised some leading Republican lawmakers and expose one of many loopholes in Indiana's government ethics laws. Ethics experts consulted by The Star called the arrangement a conflict of interest that potentially puts Indiana taxpayers at risk. If Verma were working for the federal government, they point out, she would have to show how the government was protected, or step aside.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) In Indiana, Government Consultants Are Not Required To Disclose Potential Conflicts. “But in Indiana, government consultants aren't required to disclose such potential conflicts, even when they have offices in state government, as Verma does. So the nature of Verma's work and the extent to which it benefited HP remains unclear.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) A Spokesman For Verma’s Office Said That All Contracts Between The State And SVC, Inc. Had Been Reviewed And Approved In Accordance With All Requirements Of State Law. “HP referred any other questions on the matter to the state. Verma's spokesman, Lou Gerig, noted in a statement that ‘all contracts between the state and SVC Inc., or between the state and SVC Inc. as a subcontractor, have been reviewed and approved in accordance with all requirements of state law.’” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) Some Of Verma’s Contracts Show Her Duties To Be “Crafting Requirements For Contractors,” And “Negotiating With Contractor and Supervising Vendors” Among Other Things. “What they show is that her duties involve crafting requirements for contractors, negotiating with contractors and supervising vendors. Her company's website also says she provided ‘requirements for the state's three technology vendors to support HIP.’ That would include Hewlett-Packard. One contract gives her the authority to ‘initiate and/or track’ a contract or contract amendments with the state's fiscal intermediary, which is HP. Another puts her in charge of technical changes to the state's medical management information system, which is operated by HP.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) Lawmakers In Indiana Were Unaware Of Verma’s Work For HP. “Lawmakers in Indiana, however, were unaware of Verma's work for HP. ‘I was only aware she was working for the state,’ said Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee.’ Verma's arrangement with HP also came as a surprise to former FSSA Secretary Debra Minott, who said she learned about it sometime in 2013.” (Tony Cook, “Powerful State Health Care Consultant Serves Two Bosses,” The Indianapolis Star, 8/26/14) SVC Has Received Federal Funds According To USASpending.gov, SVC, Inc. Received $170,000 In From The Department Of Health And Human Services In 2014. (USASpending.gov Accessed 11/21/16)