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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.

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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 (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

  • What does the CDC’s Vaccine Panel have to do with Medicaid?

    Vaccine safety and changes happening at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have been an ongoing topic of conversation throughout the past few months. As we have previously discussed here on Say Ahhh!, HHS has announced upcoming studies and potential changes to how vaccines are approved and recommended for different populations. Most notably,…

  • What is the Current Status of Vaccines in the US?

    As fall respiratory virus season ramps up, major changes to the vaccine policy landscape in the U.S. are coming. Some states, such as Florida, have announced an effort to end all vaccine requirements for children to attend school. Federally, changes promulgated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have…

  • Senate OBBB Continues House Overreach on Immigrant Health Coverage by Imposing Restrictions on How States Can Spend Their Own Funds

    As we have already written, the House-passed reconciliation bill section 44111 would penalize expansion states for providing coverage with state-only funds to noncitizens otherwise ineligible for Medicaid, including some lawfully present immigrants, as well as for adopting the state plan option to cover lawfully residing children and pregnant women without a 5-year waiting period in…

  • 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…