The state health insurance exchange’s chief executive, Patty Fontneau, announced Thursday she will leave Connect for Health Colorado to take a job as president of Private Exchange Business for Cigna.
She will leave her post in mid-August. The exchange’s board of directors said they plan to name an interim CEO within a week.
“It was a hard decision,” Fontneau said. “This was one of the most interesting, challenging experiences I’ve ever had.”
Fontneau was among the first employees to join the exchange, when she took the top post in December 2011.
During her tenure, Fontneau has been the lightning rod for controversies and political battles surrounding the startup of the state’s health insurance exchange and the Affordable Care Act.
Part of the criticism Fontneau and the exchange has faced stemmed from personnel issues, including Fontneau’s $190,000 salary and 2.5 percent raise this year. Her pay and that of other exchange officials is higher than counterparts at three similar state exchanges.
Another personnel issue, the forced resignation in March of a midlevel manager placed on administrative leave after she was indicted for theft and fraud in Montana, drew criticism of her hire.
Fontneau and supporters say Connect for Health Colorado opened on time Oct. 13, 2013, and under budget, with more than 140,000 Coloradans having used the exchange to enroll in private insurance. The exchange’s enrollment fees are among the lowest in the country.
“Everything is in such good shape,” Fontneau said. “We have such a strong team in place. We are financially secure. We are self-sustaining.”
Critics, however, have expressed doubts that the exchange will remain financially solvent once the period of federal grants ends.
Connect for Health Colorado, a public nonprofit established by the Colorado General Assembly in 2011, aims to enable individuals, families and small employers to shop for affordable health insurance online or in person.
“Continuing political uncertainty is perhaps the biggest challenge for the state exchange,” Fontneau said.
David Guilmette, president of Cigna’s Global Employer Segment, said in a news release the company hired Fontneau to lead its rapidly growing private exchange business.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276, edraper@denverpost.com or twitter.com/electadraper
