Medicaid Leadership Exchange

Technology is essential to how Medicaid operates — shaping how agencies support providers, manage complex programs, enable monitoring and compliance, and serve members. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how Medicaid leaders are approaching technology strategy and implementation. The discussion highlights how product roadmaps, shared governance, and stronger contract...

The executive and legislative branches share responsibility for ensuring Medicaid is administered effectively and efficiently. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how Medicaid directors and state legislators can build productive working relationships grounded in trust, clear communication, and shared goals. The discussion highlights how these partnerships can help sta...

When Medicaid agencies experience leadership changes, deputy and interim leaders play a critical role in keeping priorities on track. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how these leaders maintain continuity, guide day-to-day decision-making, and support agency teams during leadership transitions. The discussion highlights how interim leaders can help staff focus on c...

Running a state Medicaid program means steering policy, budgets, and teams that shape health care for millions of people in the United States. Yet few directors remain at the helm of Medicaid programs long enough to witness — and drive — decades of change. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast features two of the nation’s longest tenured Medicaid directors, who share what drew t...

Stakeholder voices — including parents, community members, advocacy groups, and providers — play a vital role in shaping Medicaid. Their on-the-ground insights help drive policies that make the program stronger and more responsive to the people it serves. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast discusses how collaborating with stakeholders and understanding their perspectives can...

The path to Medicaid leadership isn’t always a straight one. In fact, it is the breadth of experience and expertise — spanning sectors both inside and outside of state government — that is essential to building teams with the skills and agility to manage multi-billion-dollar programs. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast features three Medicaid leaders whose unique backgrounds...

“We need to tell our stories because the state will listen — they have listened.” Erin Peterson, parent advocate and member When Medicaid agencies partner with families, it brings together two essential perspectives: state officials who understand the policies and processes behind the programs, and families who offer on-the-ground insight into navigating those programs. This episode of...

Medicaid can partner with Tribal communities to better serve their members, who face persistent and significant health disparities. But before deciding how to address Tribal needs, it is critical for Medicaid agencies to forge strong partnerships by actively listening to what the Tribes need and want. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how Medicaid can better serve T...

Supporting families of children with special health care needs is critical to ensuring their health and well-being, and helping them stay together as a family. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how Medicaid agencies can better serve children with special health care needs and their families. The episode emphasizes the importance of partnering across silos and openin...

Navigating Medicaid can be daunting, especially when an individual or family member has complex needs. This challenge is compounded when siloed state agencies have poor communication, which can prevent individuals and families from receiving coordinated services that meet their needs. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast shares the story of Mark Butler , parent advocate and Ohi...

Better serving people who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid is complex, but a key priority for many Medicaid agencies. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores the importance of integrating benefits for this population to create more person-centered care and services for members. It also highlights the power of designing integrated programs in partnership...

“If you can invest in the mother, you can change a generation.” Cheryl Roberts, Virginia Medicaid director Improving maternal health is a key priority for many Medicaid agencies. This episode of the  Medicaid Leadership Exchange  podcast highlights opportunities to improve maternal health services, particularly for key high-risk populations and people living in rural communities. It ex...

No matter where someone lives — in rural regions, urban areas, or in-between — they should have equitable access to high-quality health care. This first episode in a new season of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast highlights the importance of Medicaid to the millions of people living in rural communities across the country. It delves into the unique challenges faced by Medicaid directors in...

“Embrace the opportunity to tackle big [issues] … There are things you can do incrementally to prepare: building staff knowledge, making connections with other states, and gathering the resources … The time will come when you can activate on major transformation, it’s just a matter of time.” Allison Taylor, Medicaid Director, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration For many older a...

“We have a housing crisis. It’s really important that we come with that servant’s heart — and essentially a hustle — and recognize the importance of our position and get out into the community and practice innovation to meet the needs of our members.” Elizabeth Da Costa, Director of Housing, Arizona Medicaid Agency Social factors, such as access to stable housing, sources of adequate nutriti...

“Reach out to other states who have [created cross-agency partnerships] and ask, ‘What did you do to make this successful?’, ‘How did you get over this hurdle?’ We always ask other states where the potholes are, so we don’t fall in.” Adrienne Fegans, Deputy of Programs and Operations, Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Service Cross-sector collaboration is essential for addressing cri...

Aligning systems with cross-agency partners can better support Medicaid members by closing gaps and improving services. Journey mapping is one tool that can promote cross-agency collaboration and systems alignment. This new episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how a cross-agency team in Alaska embarked on a journey mapping process to better understand the experiences of pre...

“We can’t just focus on what is happening in custody. We have to also make sure that we’re partnering with community partners to ensure that when people leave our custody, they have a continuity of services.” Lieutenant Modeste, Public Information Officer, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Collaboration between Medicaid and the criminal legal system can improve health outcomes for justice-involved p...

“I didn’t think I had anything to offer. I went into this thinking, ‘I don’t know why I’m here.’ Literally, in that first meeting, I found out why I was there: They need to hear from us.” Samantha Fields, Community Advocate Medicaid members, as the people experiencing care, can bring a wealth of knowledge and lived expertise to discussions about how to better align and improve programs. This episo...

When programs are aligned across sectors, they can better serve community members. In this new season of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast, guests from all corners of the public sector — behavioral health, criminal justice, and housing, among others — sit down to discuss how resources can be more impactful and efficient when everyone rows in the same direction. This initial episode offers i...

Medicaid leaders may soon face the challenge of rethinking policies created during the COVID-19 public health emergency, which is currently set to expire in October. This new episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores the complexities of this task and the opportunities it provides, such as codifying waivers related to telehealth and streamlining services and supports for benefici...

The pandemic has placed significant strain on Medicaid and its leaders. One valuable outcome of this difficult era, however, is the unprecedented attention being paid to home- and community-based services (HCBS) and the caregivers that underpin these programs. This new episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how Medicaid leaders can leverage this spotlight on HCBS to drive imm...

Medicaid, like nearly every other sector, is facing staff burnout following two-plus years of the pandemic. Recruiting Medicaid staff, however, presents unique challenges since it can be highly technical work. This new episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores the inner workings of Medicaid’s workforce recovery and the opportunity to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusiv...

For years, Medicaid leaders have faced a mounting children’s behavioral health crisis — made worse by the pandemic. In this episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast, three Medicaid leaders discuss the behavioral health needs of children and opportunities for Medicaid to better support those needs. This episode is hosted by Gretchen Hammer , former Colorado Medicaid director and principa...

Throughout the public health emergency, Medicaid leaders have faced many unique pressures, including a changing public health environment, workforce burdens, and elevated needs of enrollees. In this season 3 premiere of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast, former Medicaid directors explore what they would prioritize now and into the future when the emergency unwinds — and where blind spots ma...