Health czar has deep ties to industry

After years as a top state and federal healthcare official, Nancy-Ann DeParle turned her attention to the business of medicine, overseeing more than a dozen companies as a board member or private equity portfolio manager over the past eight years. In 2006 and 2007 alone, DeParle collected at least $3.5 million from fees and the sale and awards of stock from healthcare firms, according to regulatory filings. Now DeParle is the White House czar for healthcare reform, helping lead an overhaul of the nation's system of medical care, a process almost certain to impact the fortunes of the industry she recently served.