Would NC’s Dr. Mandy Cohen join the Biden administration? Here’s what she said.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, has been floated as a possible pick for the incoming Biden administration, according to some news outlets.
Since Joe Biden was named president-elect over the weekend, political observers have identified several names to possibly fill Cabinet positions.
POLITICO named Cohen as one of three possible choices to be the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services alongside former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The New York Times did as well on Wednesday, adding Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to the mix.
The Washington Post reported Monday that Cohen could also be a contender as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Cohen worked there during the Obama administration.
When reporters asked her Tuesday whether she would consider a position in Biden’s administration, she said it’s flattering to see North Carolina and the department’s work in the national context.
But she demurred on saying yes or no.
“I am focused here on making sure the folks in North Carolina stay safe, particularly around the holidays, and I’m going to keep focused on that,” Cohen said at a news conference alongside Gov. Roy Cooper.
On Thursday, she was asked about it again. She told reporters that Biden’s transition team has not contacted her. However, she also said she “would be honored” to continue serving in North Carolina or at the federal level of government, “if that is an opportunity.”
“I think it is a recognition of the hard work that we have been doing in North Carolina, even before COVID, that I’m considered among the list,” Cohen said Thursday. “I’m flattered for that.”
Cohen, who is also a physician, was chief operating officer and chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The News & Observer previously reported.
In North Carolina, Cohen has been a major advocate of expanding Medicaid. Medicaid expansion has been one of Cooper’s main goals and was also at the center of the 2019 budget battle. The state has not expanded Medicaid. Democrats want it but the Republican-led General Assembly, which would have to pass it, so far has not supported it.
Cohen was recruited to join the Obama administration in 2013 to help fix HealthCare.gov, used to sign up for health insurance, The News & Observer reported.
She attended Cornell University as an undergraduate, graduated from Yale Medical School and earned a master’s in public health at Harvard, where she concentrated on health care leadership.
Will Cooper join Biden administration?
Cooper, who was just re-elected to a second term as governor, told reporters a firm “no,” when asked if he would be interested or open to a position with Biden on Tuesday.
“But let me just say on behalf of Dr. Cohen, she is doing an amazing job here. We are fortunate she agreed to come and join my administration in 2017, but I think she is keeping her head down and doing what she needs to do to move our state forward,” Cooper said.
He said he can see why she would be considered because of her handling of the state’s coronavirus response.
“Anybody would be fortunate to have Dr. Cohen, and of course I want her right here,” Cooper said.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Would NC’s Dr. Mandy Cohen join the Biden administration? Here’s what she said.."
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