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Kelly Whitener

is an Associate Professor of the Practice at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families.

Kelly Whitener is an Associate Professor of the Practice at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) where she focuses on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) policy at the state and federal levels. Recently, Kelly’s work has included research and policy analyses to improve care for children and families in immigrant communities. Prior to joining CCF, Kelly served as the Director of State Coverage Programs at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, overseeing the CHIP and Basic Health Program. Kelly also worked for the Senate Committee on Finance, managing the Medicaid, CHIP, and prevention and wellness portfolio from October 2008 to April 2014. During her time with the committee, Kelly worked on the CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2009, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, and several year-end bills extending expiring safety net programs. Kelly studied psychology and Spanish at the University of Michigan and earned a Masters of Public Health from UCLA and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University.

Latest From Kelly

States Leading the Way on Connecting All Children with Health Coverage – Will Congress Follow?

According to the Urban Institute, over half of the remaining uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) but unenrolled. About a third of uninsured children are ineligible for Medicaid or CHIP because their family income exceeds the eligibility thresholds. Another 10% are ineligible for Medicaid/CHIP because of their immigration […]

Restoring the Public Charge Policy

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final regulation that restores longstanding public charge policy, effective December 23, 2022. This comes after attempts by the Trump Administration to radically expand the scope and nature of the public charge test, making it much harder for some immigrants to adjust their status and discouraging many more […]

Biden Administration Releases Final Rule on Public Charge

After years of seemingly ever-changing rules around public charge, it comes as a relief to see a final rule that is faithful to the statute and supported by extensive policy evidence. The definition of public charge in the final rule is consistent with long established public charge policy and law, unlike the rules under the […]

DHS Finalizes DACA Regulations To Protect Young DREAMers

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently finalized regulations on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, bringing much needed reassurance to DACA grantees, sometimes called “DREAMers.” After the proposed rule was issued last fall, we submitted comments suggesting DHS adopt a few key program improvements in order to fulfill President Biden’s Executive Order […]