LATE BREAKING NEWS: Utah Resident and BYU Grad, Chris Klomp, Promoted to No. 2 at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
In an unexpected move within the HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the White House today announced that Klomp has been promoted to Chief Counselor of the HHS.
The promotion makes Klomp to the 2nd-highest ranked official within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
He will now "oversee all operations of the Department" while continuing to serve in his current role as Director of Medicare and Deputy Administrator of CMS.
Less than one week after he appeared on stage during the 2026 edition of Silicon Slopes SUMMIT with billionaire "shark" and serial entrepreneur, Mark Cuban, Chris Klomp has been promoted to Chief Counselor of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
According the the HHS news release, Klomp will "oversee all operations of the Department" and he and several other administrators similarly promoted today "will continue to serve in their current roles in addition to serving in Secretary Kennedy’s office."
In his new role as Chief Counselor of the HHS, Klomp will have a direct impact on annual spending through the Department of $1.7—$1.8 trillion.
According to his LinkedIn Profile and his HHS biography page,
- Klomp, his wife, and four children currently live in Park City, Utah and Washington, D.C.;
- He graduated in Economics / English from Brigham Young University in 2004, before earning an MBA from Stanford University in 2011;
- Professionally, Klomp spent nearly 10 years combined with Bain & Company and Bain Capital, leaving the latter in mid-2014 as Vice President, North American Private Equity;
- He then joined Utah-based Collective Medical as its CEO and Chairman, roles he held for over 6.5 years before selling the firm for a reported $650 million to PointClickCare at the end of 2020;
- Klomp was with PointClickCare for just over 3 years before leaving in early 2024.
Additionally, he also served during his career as a Utah Senate-confirmed commissioner of the Utah Digital Health Services Commission, where he focused on leveraging technology for cost-effective, healthier outcomes.
In case you missed it, embedded below is a recording of the very entertaining and informative interview / discussion Klomp and Cuban held last Friday, 06 February 2026, during Silicon Slopes' 2026 SUMMIT conference, a conversation excellently led by Tyler Jennings, Director of Entrepreneurship & Economic Development for the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity in Utah.
"Mark Cuban vs. Trump's Medicare Director: The Healthcare Debate Nobody Expected." Recorded Friday, 06 February 2026 during the Silicon Slopes 2026 SUMMIT held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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