Gov. Ned Lamont has tapped Kathleen Unger Holt, most recently the associate director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, to be Connecticut’s health care advocate. Holt had been with the Center for Medicare Advocacy since 2014, overseeing the group’s advocacy and outreach efforts and helping craft state and federal Medicare-related legislation. Her first day as health care advocate will be Sept. 30, though her nomination must be approved by the Connecticut General Assembly when it convenes in January. Sean King, who has been serving as interim health care advocate for over a year, will continue as general counsel for the office. “I am thrilled to accept Gov. Lamont’s nomination as Connecticut’s health care advocate, working to ensure every Connecticut resident has the best possible access to affordable, quality health care,” Holt said in a statement Wednesday. “In addition to [helping] individuals obtain access to health care services, the Office of the Healthcare Advocate represents the collective voice of all Connecticut patients. I look forward to collaborating with health care providers, insurers, employers, other state agencies, and state and federal legislators to coordinate, deliver, oversee, and improve health care in Connecticut.” Kathleen Unger Holt has been nominated for state health care advocate. Credit: Photo courtesy of Gov. Ned Lamont's Office The Healthcare Advocate Advisory Committee, a panel appointed by Democrat and Republican legislative leaders, recently completed a search and evaluation for the position, sending a list of recommended candidates to Lamont, including Holt. Holt worked previously for Cigna in Bloomfield, as an administrator for New Britain Memorial Hospital and for Northwest Hospital in Seattle, and as a special assistant state’s attorney for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While with HHS, she drafted health law opinions, litigated in federal court, and served as an in-house lawyer for administrative law judges, officials with Lamont’s office said. She also founded a Seattle-area law practice that specialized in the needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Holt is chair of the board of directors at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, a commissioner with the Mansfield Housing Authority and a public member of the Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement Board. In taking over as health care advocate, she will step down from her role on the Lawrence + Memorial board, a spokeswoman for Lamont said. Holt has a Master of Business Administration in health care management from the University of Connecticut and a law degree from the Seattle University School of Law. “I am very excited that Kathy Holt has accepted our offer to serve as Connecticut’s next health care advocate because she has an incredible amount of experience, both here in our state and on the national level, in helping people access the coverage they need and advocating on their behalf, especially for people who are older [and] people who have disabilities,” Lamont said in a statement. “Kathy is going to be an excellent partner for our administration, the legislature, and the people of Connecticut to help develop the policies we need to strengthen access to affordable, high-quality health insurance.” Holt replaces Ted Doolittle, who left the position last summer to become a federal immigration judge. Doolittle had served in the role since 2017. During his tenure, Doolittle helped educate residents on referral and prior authorization procedures and the appeals process for health care plans, fielded questions about enrollment and billing, and intervened on behalf of residents in matters of claim denial and pre-authorization problems. Holt will begin formally serving a four-year term once her nomination is confirmed by the legislature, which starts work on Jan. 8. Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, co-chair of the Public Health Committee, issued a statement supporting Holt. “I look forward to working with Kathleen Unger Holt on pressing matters impacting health care in Connecticut,” he said Wednesday. “Her experience advocating for Medicare and quality health care for our older populations and people with disabilities will be valuable and I know she will be focused on fixing issues patients face in getting care. Her career has spanned a variety of professional and legal roles in the health care industry and I’m confident that her breadth of knowledge will benefit many in our state.”