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Joan Alker

is the Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families and a Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy.

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Joan Alker is the Executive Director and a Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families (CCF), and a Research Professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. Her work focuses on health coverage for low-income children and families, with an emphasis on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She is the lead author of a widely cited annual report on the status of children’s coverage. Alker has authored numerous studies and blogs on a range of issues including children’s health, Medicaid waivers, premium assistance, and published in journals such as Health Affairs, NEJM, BJM, and JAMA.

A frequent speaker and commentator, Alker is routinely quoted in major media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, Wall St Journal, KFF Health News, and Politico.. She holds a Master of Philosophy in politics from St. Antony’s College, Oxford University and a Bachelor of Arts with honors in political science from Bryn Mawr College.

Please contact Cathy Hope (catherine.hope@georgetown.edu) with media queries or to set up an interview with Joan.

Latest

  • CMS Guidance on Medicaid Work Requirements Leaves States Hanging

    CMS released preliminary guidance on H.R. 1’s mandatory Medicaid work requirements on December 8.  The much-anticipated guidance fell far short of answering all the questions states need answered, but it did acknowledge that implementing the Medicaid work reporting requirements mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1) will be a “serious undertaking for states…

  • Florida Leaders Have Failed to Implement Bipartisan Plan Approved Over 2 Years Ago to Help Families Afford Health Insurance for Their Children

    Florida’s children are more likely to go without health insurance than children in most other states. In a rare display of bipartisan unity, the Florida Legislature recognized the need to address the high cost of health insurance for families with children and took action by unanimously approving a bill to expand the state’s Healthy Kids…

  • The Future of ACA’s Medicaid Expansion: What do Changes in HR1 Mean?

    The federal budget reconciliation bill signed by President Trump, H.R. 1, made multiple cuts to the Medicaid program that were designed to deter states from expanding Medicaid. Ten states, mostly in the South, have not expanded Medicaid to low-income adults. Despite many attempts by proponents of large Medicaid cuts to lower the expansion match of…

  • CMS’s Georgia Waiver Extension Underscores the Failure of Medicaid Work Requirements

    As regular readers of SayAhhh! know, on January 1, 2027, 42 states and DC will be required by HR 1 to impose work reporting requirements on many adults covered by Medicaid. The only state in the country that is currently implementing work reporting requirements is Georgia through a Section 1115 demonstration — officially known as…

  • Medicaid Cuts Kick in Quickly and Quietly in Idaho

    Amber and Darrell Daniels with three of their four children. They live in Caldwell, Idaho. Darrell works for a pest control company while Amber enjoys being a stay-at-home mom to care for their children