HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Friday that he’s nominating a Consumer Protection official as health care advocate.
Malloy nominated Ted Doolittle, who is currently the division director for the enforcement unit of the Department of Consumer Protection’s Occupational and Professional Division. That means he investigates consumer complaints regarding a wide variety of occupations and professions licensed by the state.
Prior to working for the state, Doolittle worked as a program director with CGI Federal, where he worked in the company’s Health and Compliance Programs Group, focusing on federal government healthcare program integrity and anti-fraud procurements and programs. He also worked with the LeClairRyan Law Firm in its Healthcare Group and served as a Connecticut assistant attorney general in the healthcare fraud unit, investigating and litigating multiple Medicaid and prescription drug matters.
The position of health care advocate has been vacant since June 2016 when the former Healthcare Advocate Victoria Velti left to take a job in Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman’s office. Demain Fontanella, Veltri’s deputy, has been serving as the acting Healthcare Advocate. Once the vacancy was created a six-member advisory board met to interview candidates. Malloy is only allowed to choose a candidate from the list of five, ranked in order of preference, submitted to his office.
The Office of the Healthcare Advocate is an independent agency that helps consumers when they have disputes with their health insurance company. They also educate people about their health care rights and serve as a watchdog over Connecticut’s healthcare marketplace.
Doolittle will still have to be confirmed by the legislature.
