Louisiana Health Secretary Doctor Rebekah Gee has turned in her resignation effective January 31st. Gee has taken a new job. It's expected to be announced by her employer at a later date.
Governor Edwards says Gee was on the front lines of Medicaid expansion which brought health care to more than 460-thousand adults. Parks Senator Fred Mills worked closely with Gee as chairman of the Senate Health Committee.
“She really did a great job of making sure people had coverage, making sure people had access to health care especially in rural areas,” said Mills.
Gee received criticism from Republican lawmakers, including US Senator John Kennedy who called for her firing last year on the heels of an audit that showed the state misspent 85-million dollars on ineligible Medicaid recipients. Mills says the secretary wasn’t afraid to correct those issues.
“Such a massive department with so many different aspects to tackle, she wasn’t hesitant to tackle those problems,” said Mills.
Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow was one of Doctor Gee’s biggest supporters in the state legislature.
“Her heart was always for making sure the needs of the citizens of Louisiana were meant, so any missteps, I don’t believe was ever done intentional,” said Barrow.
Gee also led efforts to reform drug pricing, which led to affordable hepatitis C medications. The governor’s office also says the state’s STD ranking declined and there’s been a 32-percent drop in severe health consequences for new moms.
The Louisiana Republican Party issued this statement following the announcement of Gee’s resignation.
“We at the Republican Party of Louisiana are pleased to learn that after four years of ruinous mismanagement, Dr. Rebecca Gee has resigned from her post as Louisiana‘s Secretary of the Department of Health. We urge the Governor to appoint in her place an official who actually shares his purported pro-life beliefs, beliefs that are deeply held by the vast majority of Louisianans.
This time, the people of Louisiana deserve a full-time leader for the department which spends nearly half of the state’s entire budget. Only a capable and hard-working full-time administrator who will improve our quality of life, create a healthcare system that is sustainable over the long-term, and enforce the right to life for our unborn children, will be acceptable.
Throughout her four years as Secretary, Dr. Gee failed to accomplish or even to attempt to implement any of these goals. Moving forward, we hope Governor Edwards recognizes his previous failure and fills this supremely important position with the right person for the job.”