Laura Trueman

Laura Trueman serves in the Office of the Secretary as Director of the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) for the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C. IEA is the "front door" of the Department, with teams devoted to facilitating communication with state, local, and tribal governments; nongovernmental entities including patient, provider, insurer, and employer groups, as well as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers; and faith-based and other non-profits working to help people in need. In addition to the IEA staff in Washington D.C., Trueman oversees ten regional offices doing similar stakeholder engagement, representing the Secretary and the Administration at the state and local level. Trueman joined the Department in January 2017, coming from Capitol Hill, where she worked for then House Majority Whip, Steve Scalise (LA), as his senior policy advisor and outreach coordinator to external groups. Laura's Capitol Hill experience also includes six years as Legislative Director to a U.S. Senator. In the private sector, Laura worked for The Heritage Foundation, a think tank, where she focused on health and entitlement reform, and at UnitedHealth, where she worked on Medicaid managed care innovations. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Laura worked as Executive Director of the Coalition for Affordable Health Coverage – a cross-section of healthcare stakeholders representing hospitals, physicians, insurers, small businesses, and PhRMA companies. CAHC advocated for making coverage more affordable through the creation of healthcare tax credits, increased funding for high risk pools, and increased competition to create more coverage choices. Laura has a Master's Degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University, is married, has three adult children, loves all things related to the ocean, and lives in Oakton, Virginia.