Medicare head Tavenner stepping down

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Marilyn B. Tavenner announced on Friday she intends to step down from the position at the end of February.

"February will be my last month serving as the administrator for C.M.S.," she said in an email to employees at the agency.

Tavenner, who oversaw the rollout of the federal insurance marketplace, was appointed to the position in May 2013.

In October 2013 she was called before the House Ways and Means committee to testify about the botched rollout of HealthCare.gov. She apologized for the difficulties users had accessing the website.

"To the millions of Americans who've attempted to use Healthcare.gov to shop and enroll in healthcare coverage, I want to apologize to you that the website has not worked as well as it should," she said at the time. "We know how desperately you need affordable coverage."

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said Tavenner would "be remembered for her leadership in opening the health insurance marketplace."

"In so doing, she worked day and night so that millions of Americans could finally obtain the security and peace of mind of quality health insurance at a price they could afford," Burwell added. "It's a measure of her tenacity and dedication that after the tough initial rollout of HealthCare.gov, she helped right the ship,"

Andrew M. Slavitt will become the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services once Tavenner leaves, Burwell said.