Gov. McMaster names former Medicaid director to lead agency again

COLUMBIA (AP) - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Wednesday that he will nominate a former state Medicaid director to return as the agency's leader.

Robert Kerr, who headed the Department of Health and Human Services between 2003 and 2007, must still be confirmed by the Senate.

Kerr, 62, had previously spent 22 years with the agency beginning in 1985. Former Gov. Mark Sanford first appointed Kerr to the top role in 2003. Kerr departed in 2007 to form a private health care consulting firm.

The consulting firm is shutting down and will terminate all client contracts once Kerr is confirmed by the Senate, according to the governor's office.

The state's Medicaid agency has been without a permanent director since January, when former director Joshua Baker resigned.