Contact Kelly

GeorgetownCCF kdw29@georgetown.edu

Kelly Whitener

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 pediatric health benefits and managed care delivery systems as well as promoting state level advocacy to improve care for children and families. Prior to joining CCF, Kelly served as the Director of State Coverage Programs at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, overseeing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (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.

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Latest From Kelly

National Strategy Needed to Close Health Care Gaps, Protect Children’s Health and Well-Being

New research from the Urban Institute, “Urgent Action Needed to Address Children’s Unmet Health Care Needs during the Pandemic,” identifies the problems families with children are facing and some proven solutions, but explains that without a coordinated, national response, it’s unlikely that the children most at risk will get needed supports. Instead, as the authors […]

Georgia’s Medicaid Waiver is Fiscally Foolish and Anti-Family

On October 15th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma traveled to Atlanta to announce the approval of Georgia’s “Pathways to Coverage” Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration. The approval is the latest in CMS Administrator Verma’s ideological crusade to “reframe” Medicaid and promote her signature initiative — work requirements. The creation of a […]

What’s New for 2021 Marketplace Enrollment?

By Megan Houston, Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms On November 1, the eighth open enrollment period begins for marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This year there are several policy changes that could have an impact on enrollment and affordability of plans on the marketplace including: COVID-19 Pandemic: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic […]

New Urban Institute Estimates of 1.7 Million More Uninsured Children if Supreme Court Overturns Affordable Care Act

On Tuesday, November 10, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for California v. Texas, a case in which a group of conservative attorneys general led by the Texas Attorney General and the Trump Administration are seeking to overturn the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA). Researchers from the Urban Institute recently projected that the number […]

More Young Children Uninsured Since Trump Administration Took Office, Virginia a Bright Spot

As we lament the swift reversal in health coverage for children of all ages, we also wanted to take an initial look at how this trend specifically impacts young children. Sadly, children under age 6 were not spared from coverage losses. As these tables detail, there are nearly 180,000 more uninsured young children than at […]