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Elisabeth Wright Burak

is a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families.

Elisabeth Wright Burak is a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) with two decades of experience in federal and state policies to support low-income children and families. She currently leads CCF work on Medicaid and young children’s healthy development. Since joining CCF in 2011, Elisabeth has worked on a range of health coverage issues, such as state Medicaid expansion and the 2015 CHIP extension in Congress. She previously served as Director of Health Policy and Legislative Affairs with Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families, where she led successful efforts to expand access to ARKids First (Medicaid and CHIP for Arkansas children) and aided other victories for families at the state capitol, including tax relief for low-income Arkansans and increased access to health and education programs. Elisabeth first returned to her home state in 2006 to direct the Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Policy and Planning, where she guided cross-system initiatives such as children’s behavioral health reform. She began her career in early care and education policies at the National Governors Association and The Finance Project in Washington, D.C. Elisabeth holds Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in social psychology from Smith College.

Latest From Elisabeth

Medicaid Funding for Home Visiting: Time to Scale What Works for Young Children and Families

As more states adopt Medicaid’s postpartum extension, making health coverage work for postpartum people and their newborns requires dedicated attention by states on the best ways to ensure mom and child get the right care at the right time.  One popular, evidence-based intervention for young families is home visiting. The approach typically includes some combination […]

Arkansas Unwinding Numbers Show What’s at Stake for Very Young Children

Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) has sounded the alarm bells for more than a year warning that without strong state leadership and careful attention, millions of children, parents, disabled people and others eligible for Medicaid could be erroneously disenrolled for procedural reasons. Children are far more likely to lose Medicaid and CHIP […]

Expedited CMS Approvals in Washington and Oregon Can Further Minimize Coverage Disruptions, Aid Unwinding

New CMS approvals in Oregon and Washington will protect health coverage for more children and families during this year’s consequential unwinding, minimizing coverage disruptions and easing transitions to new sources of health coverage. Oregon receives approval to ease coverage transitions for certain adults, allowing them to stay in Medicaid until they can transition to alternative […]

States Can Help Address the Child Care Crisis by Prioritizing Health Coverage

Federal and state lawmakers are seeking policy solutions to address the child care crisis that was exacerbated by the pandemic. Workforce challenges loom large, with necessary attention to boost wages for the child care professionals who play a role in not only helping parents work, but also promoting early childhood development. But states can also […]

State Opportunities to Improve Health Care Coverage for Child Care Professionals

States are grappling with how to more effectively support their child care workforce, including ensuring providers have access to affordable health care. Just like parents, frontline early education professionals are better able to support children in their care when they are healthy. A healthy caregiver is especially important for young children because brain development in […]