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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 Co-Founder of the Center for Children and Families (CCF), and a Research Professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. She is a nationally recognized expert on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and is the lead author of CCF’s annual report on children’s health care coverage trends. Alker has published in journals such as JAMA and Health Affairs and has written numerous reports, blogs, and other commentary on a wide range of issues including Medicaid Section 1115 waivers, child and family health, the role of Medicaid in rural areas, and numerous reports on premium assistance for the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Alker has testified before Congress, served on expert advisory panels to the federal government, and is a frequent speaker and commentator; she is routinely quoted in major national and state media outlets such as the New York Times, NPR, Politico, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Kaiser Health News. Joan Alker 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. Follow Joan on Twitter @JoanAlker1

Latest

  • Say Ahhh!

    Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Under Consideration by Congress Put People with Disabilities, Cancer, and Those Impacted by the Opioid Crisis at Risk

    As Congress considers cutting Medicaid to finance President Trump’s legislative agenda, one of the proposals that appears to have a great deal of support from Republicans is the imposition of a punitive work reporting requirement as a condition of Medicaid eligibility. I have long held the view that this approach is deeply flawed for a…

  • Say Ahhh!

    Voices from Ohio: The Harm of Medicaid Work Requirements

    As Congress considers imposing a mandatory work reporting requirement (WRR) on adults in Medicaid as part of their drive to impose large federal cuts to Medicaid, Ohio is the first state during the second Trump Administration to request Section 1115 demonstration authority to impose a WRR on its ACA Medicaid expansion group. Ohioans are speaking…

  • Say Ahhh!

    What is President Trump Saying About Medicaid?

    Asked about broader spending cuts … Trump said we’ll “love and cherish” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the last of which insures more than 70 million Americans. “We’re not going to do anything with that, unless we can find some abuse or waste,” Trump said. “The people won’t be affected. It will only be more…

  • Research & Reports

    Medicaid: Important for Military Families & Future Readiness

    In partnership with The physical health and well-being of current service members is vital in supporting military readiness. Likewise, the physical health and well-being of young Americans is vital to the future readiness of the Armed Forces. Ensuring affordable and comprehensive health care access for America’s military families and our next generation is an essential…