Senator Lamar Alexander Wednesday praised the “tireless” service of Darin Gordon, Tennessee’s longest-serving TennCare director, who will be stepping down from the position after more than a decade of service:
“As the state’s longest-serving TennCare director and the longest-serving Medicaid director in the country, Darin has helped transition Tennessee’s Medicaid programs from being one of the state’s biggest budget headaches to being consistently ranked as one of the nation’s more fiscally responsible.
Darin’s leadership has proven that he understands how critical it is for the state to bring health care costs under control and has been able to work under both Democratic and Republican governors to accomplish that,” Senator Alexander said.
TennCare is the state’s $10.5 billion Medicaid program that provides services to more than 1.5 million Tennesseans. The program started in 1994 and is in its 23rd year.
In March, Mr. Gordon announced that he would be stepping down as the director of TennCare on June 30 after serving more than 10 years in the position. He is the longest-serving Medicaid director in the country and the state’s longest-serving TennCare director. TennCare has maintained the lowest cost trend in its history under Mr. Gordon’s leadership, which has helped minimize the burden on Tennessee taxpayers and allowed the state to invest in education and other critical service areas, officials said.