Do you know what happens when you appoint a number of evangelical Christians to positions in the Cabinet?
Well, as President Donald Trump’s Cabinet is demonstrating, you get a lot of evangelical Christians appointed to be those secretaries’ senior deputies. And that long list of committed Christians serving in the top levels of government is about to grow by one after the White House announced Thursday its intent to nominate Matthew Bassett of Tennessee to serve as Assistant Secretary of Health & Human Services for Legislation.
The announcement included the following statement from the Trump administration:
Mr. Bassett is a health care policy expert with more than 20 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to his nomination, he served as a senior executive for healthcare companies myNEXUS and Davita Inc. In addition to his experience in the private sector, he held senior positions in the United States House of Representatives for members of the House Rules and Energy and Commerce Committees. He also served the Governor of Kentucky as a senior adviser in his role as chief of staff to Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services. There he worked to bring reforms to Kentucky’s Medicaid and insurance markets. Currently, he serves on the board of directors for the Access Tennessee Health Insurance Pool. Mr. Bassett, originally from Coral Springs, Florida, holds a B.A. degree from Baylor University and a Master’s in Health Care Administration from Trinity University.
Bassett was deputy chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Ernie Fletcher, who later became Governor of Kentucky. He followed the governor to Frankfort, where he chief of staff for the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, where he played a big role in that state’s health care modernization efforts.
In his new role as assistant secretary of Health & Human Services for Legislation, his job will be to serve as the primary link between Secretary of Health & Human Services Dr. Tom Price and Congress. As the process to fully repeal and replace Obamacare continues, he will play a vital role in those efforts.
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