Spanberger announces seasoned policy advisor as next health and human resources secretary
In helming HHR, Marvin Figueroa can help Virginia navigate a shifting landscape of federal health care funding
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As Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger prepares to take the helm of the state of Virginia, she has announced her pick for the next secretary of health and human resources: Marvin Figueroa.
A veteran senior official of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Figueroa previously served as the Deputy HHS secretary under former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. Figueroa was also a health policy advisor to U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and helped craft the CHRONIC Care Act — a 2018 law that bolstered Medicare coverage of services for people with chronic conditions. Most recently, Figueroa was vice president at BGR Group, a bipartisan lobbying and communications firm in D.C.
The state’s HHR secretary oversees a dozen state agencies — to include the Departments of Health, Social Services and Medical Assistance Services. The role is paramount to helping gubernatorial administrations carry out their agendas regarding public health.
“As Governor, I am committed to making sure our neighbors have access to safe, reliable healthcare and are served by leaders who are ready to tackle the tough challenges ahead,” Spanberger said in a statement. “I know that Mr. Figueroa will always put the health and safety of Virginians first — and I look forward to working alongside him to deliver affordable, accessible care for every Virginian.”
Spanberger’s administration and state lawmakers will have to navigate a shifting national landscape of federal health funding along with forthcoming changes to Medicaid eligibility and hospital funding mechanisms in the years ahead. Outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin had already reserved some of the state’s budget surplus as “cushion” earlier this year to cover some of the funding gaps created by Congress and President Donald Trump’s actions. For instance, the reconciliation bill passed this summer, for the first time, shifts financial responsibility for several public health programs to states.
“The challenges are real. Families are feeling the strain of rising costs, uneven access to care, and systems that are too often hard to navigate,” Figueroa said in a statement. “I share the Governor-elect’s commitment to meet these issues with the urgency Virginians deserve. I am ready to work with the General Assembly, our agencies, and partners across the Commonwealth to strengthen the systems communities rely on and to deliver progress people can feel in their daily lives.”
Addressing health care affordability and access issues was a pillar of Spanberger’s campaign for governor. She pledged support for a forthcoming reform to create a single state-contracted pharmacy benefit manager position to handle Medicaid in Virginia. The move, supporters say, would improve accountability, lower costs and help independent pharmacies stay afloat.
Other public health changes that could be on the horizon under Spanberger’s administration include creating a statewide hospital price transparency comparison tool to help people weigh options for treatments and drugs. She may collaborate with Attorney General-elect Jay Jones on consumer protection laws, and a push for Virginia’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry to ramp up generic drug production.
Spanberger also said earlier this year that Virginia’s network of free and charitable clinics can count on her support for funding boosts in coming budget cycles. As shifting federal policy can cause thousands of Virginians to lose their health insurance, clinics have been bracing for increased needs in their local communities.
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