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Natalie Lawson

is a Senior State Policy Analyst at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families.

Natalie Lawson is a Senior State Policy Analyst with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. She began her career as a community mental health social worker in Chicago for low-income adults with severe mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Natalie went on to hold various positions relating to health and behavioral health, including research and analysis at policy advocacy non-profits and working on federal and state technical assistance contracts. Prior to this role, she was a Graduate Research Associate on the Healthy Michigan Project examining the impact of Michigan's Medicaid expansion in the state. Natalie holds an MHSA from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a BS in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago.

Latest From Natalie

Community-Based Assistance Programs Support Applicants Where They Live and are a Gold Standard for Outreach

In this final installment of our series on Medicaid and CHIP outreach, we look at community-based assistance programs and resources in each state. Personalized assistance is critical to helping individuals and families find and access support to navigate confusing processes. CCF’s state outreach snapshot found state-supported outreach assistance programs in 30 states. Most, states with […]

Medicaid and CHIP Outreach Snapshot Blog Series

Earlier this year, CCF published a snapshot of state Medicaid and CHIP outreach activities. The report provides an analysis of state-provided outreach resources and enrollment assistance.  This blog series highlights good examples of state outreach and enrollment efforts and identifies areas that need improvement. Read the snapshot report Read the introductory blog Read the blog on social media […]

Language Supports Are an Area for Improvement for Medicaid and CHIP Agency Websites

This installment of our series about our outreach snapshot tackles the most challenging aspect of our research assessing the availability of language and accessibility supports on state websites. The wide variation and often confusing steps to access language assistance tools made capturing this section of the snapshot particularly difficult. We’ll dive in further here to […]

What Data Do We Have on the 988 Mental Health Crisis Call Line?

We wrote about the 988 crisis line on Say Ahhh! shortly after its launch in 2022. Two years into implementation, we’d like to revisit the crisis line to see where things stand.  As a refresher, 988 was designated as the new number for the national mental health crisis hotline, replacing the previous 10-digit number, by […]

States are Harnessing the Benefits of Video to Boost Outreach and Enrollment

Have you ever watched an instructional video about how to cut an avocado? Or how to change a car tire? Even short, explanatory videos about some of the simplest tasks can garner thousands of views from individuals looking to learn a new skill. The complexities of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are […]