Subject: Governor Appoints Three to Health Care Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Governor's Office
Wednesday, October 13, 2004 Shareese N. DeLeaver

Henry P. Fawell

(410) 974.2316

Governor Appoints Three to Health Care Commission

Pollak and Wilensky Appointed, Salamon Tapped to Head Commission

ANNAPOLIS - Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., today announced new appointments and the naming of a new Chairman to the Maryland Health Care Commission. The new appointments are recess actions, subject to confirmation when the Maryland State Senate convenes in January.

"These qualified individuals share my commitment to making health care more affordable for all Marylanders, including our 100,000 small business owners and their employees," said Governor Ehrlich. "I am confident these new commission members will work to ensure access to quality and affordable health care for every Marylander."

The appointments include:

Stephen J. Salamon, who has been named Chairman, has twenty-two years of experience in the insurance industry. A Commission member since March 2003, he is an Associate at Heritage Financial Consultants, LLC, and has led the firm's group insurance and employee benefit division since April 2000. He previously owned The Salamon Agency, which provided group insurance and employee benefit plans to Maryland employers. Salamon was the 1997 recipient of the Baltimore Health Underwriters Association's Person of the Year Award. He also served on the Advisory Committee for Implementation of Maryland's Children Health Insurance Program from 1998 to 2000. He is a resident of Hunt Valley.

Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.D., who will serve as Vice Chair, is a Senior Fellow at Project Hope, an international health education foundation where she analyzes health care reform policies and changes in the medical marketplace. From 2001 to 2003, she co-chaired the President's Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans, which covered health care for both veterans and military retirees. She also served as Assistant for Policy Development to President George Herbert Walker Bush, who she advised on health and welfare issues. Prior to that, Dr. Wilensky served as Administrator for the Health Care Financing Administration, overseeing the nation's Medicare and Medicaid programs. Her appointment is for a four-year term commencing October 1, 2004.

Andrew N. Pollak, MD, is Associate Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He is also a part-time instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Pollak has led major research in orthopaedic trauma surgery and emergency medical services. A Baltimore native, Dr. Pollak earned his MD from Northwestern University Medical School. He is a new appointment for a four-year term beginning October 1, 2004.

The Maryland Health Care Commission was created in 1993 and operates as an independent body within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Commission promotes a health regulatory system to provide all Marylanders with financial and geographic access to quality health care at a reasonable cost. The Commission develops strategies to limit health care costs and extend health care access for all Marylanders.