(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
- Drew Snyder led the Mississippi Division of Medicaid until recently. On Tuesday, Politico reported he was expected to lead the Medicaid program nationally under the incoming Trump administration.
On Tuesday, Politico health reporter David A. Lim broke news that former Mississippi Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder was expected to assume control of the program nationally once President Trump is sworn into office.
The news comes just months after Snyder resigned his post at the state’s top Medicaid officer. Snyder, who was first appointed in January of 2018, was one of the five longest serving Medicaid directors in the U.S. at the time of his resignation.
Gov. Tate Reeves has praised Snyder’s tenure at the helm of Medicaid. “Drew Snyder is a talented and dedicated public servant who has driven positive, lasting change in our state’s Medicaid program. I appreciate his acumen and his exemplary leadership and wish him continued success in the next chapter of his career,” Reeves said.
Snyder assumed leadership of the Division of Medicaid at a time when the agency had a $47 million projected budget shortfall.
During his tenue, the agency achieved six consecutive balanced budgets, and built a nine-figure reserve. In October of last year, Snyder told Magnolia Tribune this happened “despite record enrollment in 2023 and a 10 percent decrease in state support funding since 2017.”
During the span of his leadership, the headcount of the agency was reduced by more than 10 percent and a more stringent process for reviewing vendor contracts was implemented.
When he resigned, Snyder said the job of running Medicaid involved balancing the delivery of quality services with being accountable to the taxpayers who fund the program.
“I am in favor of limited government, but I am not anti-government. What government does it should do well. Mississippians deserve well-run public services,” he said. “And running the Medicaid program the right way doesn’t just benefit the recipients of Medicaid and their families or the providers receiving payments. Running the Medicaid program the right way frees up resources for other public services that are important or maybe even increases the chances of lowering taxes.”
Amid concerns about the solvency of Mississippi hospitals, in 2023, Snyder oversaw the adoption of a plan by Gov. Reeves to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates to hospitals. He says the approval of that plan by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) resulted in “a $900 million increase in directed payments to Mississippi hospitals.”
In a Joint Legislative Budget Committee hearing last Fall, House Speaker Jason White told Snyder, “I worry about a lot of state agencies a lot of days, but I appreciate the job you do and the things you do over there and we’re glad you’re driving the ship.”
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
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