What They’re Watching: Del. Kenneth Kerr
Nicole Pasia | May 24, 2022 | Maryland
What They're Watching: Les Ybarra, Anthem
Eli Kirshbaum | May 18, 2022 | California
What They’re Watching: Rich Saunders, Office of Gov. Spencer Cox
Patrick Jones | May 11, 2022 | Utah
The Cox administration is focused on controlling costs, advancing health equity, and garnering input from the community to create uniform goals for health outcomes. At our 2022 Utah State of Reform Health Policy Conference, Rich Saunders, Chief Innovation Officer at the Office of Government Spencer Cox, discussed the future of
What They're Watching: Gary Seguin, Beacon Health Options
Eli Kirshbaum | May 10, 2022 | Texas
Beacon Health Options is creating "peer support" roles in its Medicaid contracts, which include parents with children in the Medicaid program, to help members navigate their experience with Medicaid behavioral health care. Gary Seguin, Clinical Quality Director at Beacon, explained that parent advocates embedded into the Medicaid managed care contracts
What They're Watching: Jonathan Freedman, Health Management Associates
Eli Kirshbaum | May 2, 2022 | California
For Jonathan Freedman, Regional Vice President at Health Management Associates, the "enormous surge of activity" happening in California's Medi-Cal program is the most important things to watch in state health policy. CalAIM is transforming how the state delivers health care and, with initial program rollouts having started in January, it
What They're Watching: Eric Doeh, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network
Patrick Jones | May 2, 2022 | Michigan
Eric Doeh, President & CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, is focused on creating better access to health care, especially in the behavioral health space. He is currently working to increase access to behavioral health and physical health care by creating a crisis center in Wayne
What They're Watching: Jennifer Strohecker, Utah Medicaid Director
Patrick Jones | Apr 18, 2022 | Utah
Jennifer Strohecker, Medicaid Director with the Utah Department of Health, is focused on the end of the maintenance of effort (MOE) in Medicaid and preparing for the end of the public health emergency (PHE). She is also working on building out the Utah Medicaid Integrated Care (UMIC) plans,
What They're Watching: John Pickett, Anthem Blue Cross
Eli Kirshbaum | Apr 18, 2022 | California
When asked about his top areas of focus in California health policy, John Pickett, Regional Vice President of Provider Solutions at Anthem Blue Cross, listed three broad topics. Pickett is focused on implementing value based purchasing partnerships, establishing strong digital exchanges between plans and providers, and drawing on health data
What They're Watching: Stephanie Rogers, Aetna Better Health of Texas
Eli Kirshbaum | Apr 11, 2022 | Texas
Stephanie Rogers, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Texas, is focused on implementing creative new funding models to maximize the impact of Texas's health care system. One example of this, she said, is her organization's considerable investment in home and community based services (HCBS). This investment allows HCBS staff to
What They're Watching: Patrick Pine, Robert F. Kennedy Medical Plan
Eli Kirshbaum | Apr 5, 2022 | California
Patrick Pine, Chief Administrative Officer of the Robert F. Kennedy Medical Plan, told State of Reform he's primarily focused on controlling the cost of health care for the plan's members. The nonprofit plan has provided health coverage to low-income farmers in California since 1947, Pine says the health plan is
