X

Kelly Whitener

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

Email Kelly

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

  • House Bill Takes Health Care Away From Immigrants, Including Lawfully Present Children and Pregnant Women

    Misinformation and confusion (even among lawmakers, more on that below) about immigrant eligibility and enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) continues to dominate the dialogue about the proposed changes in the House-passed reconciliation bill (see bill text as considered by the Rules Committee, alongside the manager’s amendment that was adopted before final…

  • Federal Medicaid Cuts Would Harm State GDP, Credit Ratings, Jobs and Health Systems

    Medicaid is the nation’s largest health insurer, providing over 70 million children, parents, people with disabilities, and low-income seniors with health coverage. It’s clear that the major cuts to Medicaid funding currently under consideration in Congress would impact the health care system as a whole – health providers would have fewer insured patients, lower payment…

  • Governors and State Agencies Estimate Impact of Potential Federal Medicaid Cuts on State Budgets

    With Congress returning to DC, we expect to learn more about the Medicaid cuts under serious consideration as part of the budget reconciliation process fairly soon. But, in the meantime, states are starting to crunch some numbers to gauge the impact of the potential Medicaid cuts on their state programs and state budgets. The analysts…

  • Medicaid Provides Stability During Turbulent Economic Times 

    Medicaid is the largest source of public health insurance coverage, covering nearly 80 million people, so it goes without saying that Medicaid is incredibly important all of the time. However, Medicaid is especially important during economic downturns. When families face tough times, Medicaid is there to provide the extra support they need to get by.…

  • Parents and Health Care Providers Value Medicaid

    The groundswell of support for Medicaid that has recently come to the surface may have been surprising to those targeting the health coverage program for cuts but it is not surprising to those of us who conduct Medicaid research. Medicaid, together with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) insures over 37 million children. Medicaid, the…