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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.

Latest From Kelly

Stakeholders Invited to Engage with DHS to Achieve a Fairer Public Charge Policy

Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) requesting broad public feedback on the public charge ground of inadmissibility. If you’re scratching your head at the idea of an “A”NPRM, you’re not alone. Think of it as a Request for Information (RFI) specifically tied to the […]

New CMCS Informational Bulletin on Public Charge

Yesterday, CMCS released a new Informational Bulletin reminding states that the public charge rules have changed and emphasizing that Medicaid and CHIP benefits will not be considered when immigrants apply for a green card. The Trump Administration sought to change the public charge rules – rules that are used as part of an immigrant’s application […]