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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

CMS Announces Important Consumer Protection for People Losing Medicaid/CHIP

States will begin the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility for over 80 million people across the country very soon, and some states may be starting the process today. People will not lose Medicaid coverage until April 1 at the earliest, but once disenrollments begin, the number of people losing Medicaid coverage could skyrocket overnight. Some […]

New Data Underscores Need to Catch up on Routine Childhood Vaccinations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated data on vaccination coverage among kindergartners, showing a continued decline in the share of children with the recommended doses of routine childhood vaccines needed to prevent the spread of harmful diseases. The report includes data on vaccination rates by state for four vaccines: measles, mumps, […]

New Report Underscores Need to Reassure Immigrant Families

Researchers from the Urban Institute have documented the chilling effects of the Trump-era public charge regulation and other anti-immigrant policies for the past several years. Unfortunately, new research confirms that families are continuing to avoid public programs due to immigration-related concerns, despite having material hardships such as food insecurity, unmet medical needs, and problems paying […]

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 […]