HARTFORD, CT — The former Access Health CEO who landed a job with a contractor earlier this month has resigned.
Jim Wadleigh, the former CEO of the state’s health insurance exchange, said in a statement Monday night that he resigned his position with Softheon after learning he may be in violation of Connecticut’s ethics code.
“Before leaving Access Health CT earlier this year, I consulted with Connecticut’s Office of State Ethics to make sure I would be in compliance when I departed,” Wadleigh said. “Unfortunately, I have learned in the past few days that my understanding of the applicable restrictions on future employment was mistaken, and I now realize that I am not in compliance in my new job. The last thing I would want to do is cause any difficulty for the State of Connecticut or Softheon, which is a great company poised to do great things. I have therefore resigned effective immediately from my new role.”
Wadleigh officially resigned as CEO of Access Health CT in April and was hired by Softheon as its chief operating officer earlier this month, according to an Oct. 2 press release.
Wadleigh called the Office of State Ethics on Feb. 5, 2018, to inquire about revolving door laws before announcing his decision to step down. Wadleigh made his announcement to step down as CEO on Feb. 15, 2018, but he didn’t leave state service until April.
State law prohibits public officials or state employees from working for a company if they negotiated an award valued at $50,000 or more with the company while they were working for the state.
When he was CEO of Access Health CT, the quasi-public agency hired Softheon to facilitate its Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). The contract was worth more than $2 million.
CTNewsJunkie was the first to report that Wadleigh might be in violation of Connecticut’s revolving door law.
Wadleigh had worked at Access Health CT since 2012. He initially served as chief information officer and became the organization’s chief executive in 2015.