She earned Bachelor of Science in nursing and Master of Health Administration degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Prior to her original appointment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, she served as Secretary of Health and Human Resources in the Cabinet of Virginia Governor Tim Kaine from 2006 to 2010.

[3] In office, Tavenner spearheaded the rollout of the Affordable Care Act website, HealthCare.gov, that allows people to enroll in health-care plans.

She said in her prepared testimony that, "The initial consumer experience of HealthCare.gov has not lived up to the expectations of the American people, and is not acceptable", adding that, "We are committed to fixing these problems as soon as possible".

[5] On July 15, 2015, Tavenner was unanimously elected as president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans by AHIP's Board of Directors.