Health insurer lobby loses pair of top officials

Two senior members of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will step down by the end of 2015, the group confirmed Friday.

Mary Beth Donahue, who has served as executive vice president for more than a decade, and Dan Durham, who most recently served as interim CEO, will both leave the powerful insurer lobby this month.

Durham will leave Dec. 18 and Donahue on Dec. 31, the group’s spokeswoman, Clare Krusing, said Friday. The departures were first reported by Politico.

The departing officials have not yet publicly announced their next moves.

Donahue is the former chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala under President Bill Clinton. Before he was appointed interim leader, Durham was in charge of policy and regulatory affairs at AHIP.

The organization has already undergone a major transition this year. Its longtime head, Karen Ignagni, announced her departure this spring. She was replaced by Marilynn Tavenner, the former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

AHIP also lost a major member — UnitedHealthCare — this year.