Executive Mosaic is honored to present Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient for driving health initiatives, priorities and modernization, as well as his efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
This marks Becerra’s first Wash100 Award. In Jan. 2021, Biden selected Becerra, the former California attorney general, as his nominee for HHS secretary. With the department, he is charged with leading HHS at a critical moment in the pandemic.
Visit Wash100.com to cast a vote for Xavier Becerra as the most significant executive of consequence to the GovCon sector. Cast your TEN votes TODAY to advocate your favorite leaders in the federal and government sectors. The elite leader with the most votes by April 30th will be recognized by the GovCon community as the industry’s most influential member.
As attorney general in California, he has been at the forefront of legal efforts on health care, leading 20 states and D.C. in a campaign to protect the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from being dismantled. He has also been vocal in the Democratic Party about fighting for women’s health.
“The A.C.A. has been life-changing and now through this pandemic, we can all see the value in having greater access to quality health care at affordable prices,” said Becerra in June 2020, when he filed a brief with the Supreme Court in defense of the health care law. “Now is not the time to rip away our best tool to address very real and very deadly health disparities in our communities.”
Becerra has also addressed the role of technology on state and federal health. In Feb. 2021, Becerra highlighted the effects of inequity on the health of vulnerable communities and noted the role digital health can play in addressing that inequity.
“We know we need the data,” said Becerra during his hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. “We know we have work to do to fill those gaps.”
He added that, as a result of the pandemic, virtual work environments, and technology that supports it, will become more prevalent. “I wholeheartedly believe we’re going to be doing expansion of telehealth,” Becerra added. “COVID has taught us so much. It’s also the issue of broadband – making sure communities have access to broadband.”
In Jan. 2021, a group of U.S. representatives reintroduced a House bill that would safeguard some provisions, including eliminating geographic and originating site restrictions on the use of telehealth in Medicare.
“I have worked a long time on these issues, and others who believe we should not have the gaps in our healthcare system,” said Becerra. “What I can tell you is that if we collect better data, that helps us understand where the shortages are, who we are missing. We will also be able to provide better treatment.”
During Becerra’s second Senate hearing with the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Becerra discussed his plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Biden administration’s plan to build on the ACA, reduce racial health disparities and monitor healthcare consolidation.
“Any time a community is impacted where it loses jobs, access to care, schools, you’re going to see an impact,” Becerra said. “I want to make sure that we’re doing everything possible so that families, wherever they locate, have the opportunities that we expect in America,” Becerra said.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Xavier Becerra and the Department of Health and Human Services for his first Wash100 Award. Becerra’s efforts to advance health and technology initiatives will continue to support the nation’s health services as we navigate through and past the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Wash100
This year represents the eighth annual Wash100 award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector.
These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement, and vision. Visitors to Wash100.com can sign in and vote for the executives they believe will have the greatest impact on government contracting in the coming year.
The media team at Executive Mosaic writes individualized articles for each recipient of the Wash100 award, providing a write up on the executive centered around their career history and highlights.
