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Bobby P. Jindal

Bobby Jindal was appointed in February 1998 to serve as the Executive Director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare in Washington, D.C.

In his capacity, Mr. Jindal directs the staff of the new 17-member Commission which was created by Congress in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The Commission is charged with examining the Medicare program and making recommendations by March 1, 1999, to strengthen and improve Medicare in time for the retirement of the "Baby Boomers."

Previously, Mr. Jindal served for two years as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, the state's largest department with 12,000 employees, a $4 billion budget and hundreds of facilities.

Mr. Jindal, who is a Rhodes Scholar, was only 24-years-old when Governor Mike Foster appointed him in January 1996 to head the Department. Citing the importance of the Department, Gov. Foster said the appointment "is a bit unorthodox due to his young age, but I am pleased to find such an exceptionally talented Secretary."

During his tenure at DHH, Mr. Jindal revitalized Louisiana's Medicaid program by

• rescuing it from a $400 million deficit
• posting three consecutive budget surpluses exceeding $220 million
• lowering Medicaid spending three years in a row and
• establishing nationally recognized programs.

In addition, Mr. Jindal was able to produce positive health outcomes while controlling costs. For example, even as the department's budget was cut by 25 percent and the number of employees reduced by 1,000, Louisiana moved from 37^th to 3^rd best nationally in health screenings for children, increased its childhood immunizations from 50 percent to nearly 90 percent and offered new and expanded services to elderly and disabled persons.

Before directing the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Mr. Jindal served as a senior consultant out of the Washington, D.C. office of McKinsey and Company, a prestigious international consulting firm whose former members include the present CEOs of IBM and American Express. He was accepted into Harvard and Yale Medical Schools and Harvard and Yale Law Schools but relinquished those positions in order to return to Louisiana to head the Department. Recently, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Administration degree from Worcester State College in Massachusetts.

He also worked with U. S. Representatives Jim McCrery (R) and Bob Livingston (R) and developed a proposal to address the health care crisis in America which McCrery cited as "one of the finest and most workable proposals yet put forward."

Mr. Jindal has been recognized widely for his work. Recently, he was chosen by the American Institute for Public Service to receive its 1998 National Jefferson Award for the "Greatest Public Service by an Individual Thirty-Five Years or Under." The Jefferson Awards were established by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and other Jefferson Award recipients have included Barbara Bush, former President Jimmy Carter, General Colin Powell and Walter Cronkite.

Mr. Jindal also was chosen recently to receive the Achievement of the Year Award by the national Association of Government Accountants.

His recognitions started early. His writings were cited as one reason he was one of 20 named to the All-USA First Academic Team by USA Today, and he was named Louisiana's Most Outstanding Young Man by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

In 1997 and 1998, Mr. Jindal was heralded as one of the rising young stars in the United States:

• Modern Healthcare Magazine named him one of 13 "1997 Up & Comers;"
• Scholastic Update declared him one of "America's Top 10 Extraordinary Young People for the Next Millennium;" and
• A Magazine named him one of America's 25 most influential Asian-Americans.

Mr. Jindal was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Following graduation from Baton Rouge High School in 1988, he attended Brown University, wrote two honors theses, and graduated in both biology and public policy with a perfect 4.0 average. Mr. Jindal attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship and obtained a graduate degree in politics.