The Century Foundation, a leading progressive think tank, today announced the hiring of renowned health care leader Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who most recently served as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Biden administration.
Brooks-LaSure will be a full-time Senior Fellow at TCF, focused on protecting historic gains in health care made under the Biden administration and charting a path forward for a more affordable, equitable, and efficient health care system. She joins other high-ranking Biden administration officials who have announced TCF as their new home in recent weeks, including former acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su and former HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, among others.
“Chiquita Brooks-LaSure effectively managed health coverage policy for nearly half of all Americans with decisiveness, compassion, and results. Her leadership at CMS helped achieve groundbreaking Medicare drug price negotiations, tougher oversight of the private health insurance industry, and strengthened Medicaid supports for people with disabilities, children, and communities facing barriers to health care,” said Jeanne Lambrew, TCF’s Director of Health Care Reform. “Chiquita joins TCF with the same dedication to improving Americans’ health that I first saw 25 years ago when she entered the federal workforce. Her experience, skill, and courage will be invaluable to defending and advancing policy that helps all Americans secure affordable, accessible health care.”
“From lowering the price of prescription drugs and capping costs for seniors, to expanding post-partum coverage for new moms and enrolling more than 24 million people through ACA marketplaces, I couldn’t be more proud of the work we did in the Biden administration to improve our health care system, especially for historically underserved communities,” said new TCF Senior Fellow Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “But the job is far from done. It will take a new playbook to protect against threats from the Trump administration and continue our work to lower costs and expand coverage. That is why I’m so excited to join the team at TCF and get to work.”
As CMS Administrator, Brooks-LaSure oversaw programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance marketplaces. Key accomplishments during her tenure include enrolling over 100 million people in Affordable Care Act or Medicaid coverage to achieve the lowest uninsured rate in U.S. history; implementing the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs for Medicare enrollees and successfully negotiating lower prescription drug prices for Medicare; strengthening requirements on hospitals to improve maternal health outcomes and working to reduce red tape and barriers to care across all of CMS programs, such as efforts on prior authorization; and expanding access to patient navigation services and supporting caregivers.
A former policy official who played a key role in guiding the ACA through passage and implementation, Brooks-LaSure has decades of experience in the federal government, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector. She previously served as deputy director for policy at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and earlier at the Department of Health & Human Services as director of coverage policy, where she led the agency’s implementation of ACA coverage and insurance reform policy provisions.
Earlier in her career, Brooks-LaSure assisted House leaders in passing several health care laws, including the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 and the ACA, as part of the Democratic staff for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee. She began her career at the Office of Management and Budget, coordinating Medicaid policy development for the health financing branch. Her role included evaluating policy options and briefing White House and federal agency officials on policy recommendations with regard to the uninsured, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
In 2023, Modern Healthcare named her the most influential person in health care, and TIME included her in the 100 most influential global leaders in health. Brooks-LaSure received her Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Princeton University and her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
Former CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure Joins TCF
The Century Foundation, a leading progressive think tank, today announced the hiring of renowned health care leader Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who most recently served as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Biden administration.
Brooks-LaSure will be a full-time Senior Fellow at TCF, focused on protecting historic gains in health care made under the Biden administration and charting a path forward for a more affordable, equitable, and efficient health care system. She joins other high-ranking Biden administration officials who have announced TCF as their new home in recent weeks, including former acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su and former HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, among others.
“Chiquita Brooks-LaSure effectively managed health coverage policy for nearly half of all Americans with decisiveness, compassion, and results. Her leadership at CMS helped achieve groundbreaking Medicare drug price negotiations, tougher oversight of the private health insurance industry, and strengthened Medicaid supports for people with disabilities, children, and communities facing barriers to health care,” said Jeanne Lambrew, TCF’s Director of Health Care Reform. “Chiquita joins TCF with the same dedication to improving Americans’ health that I first saw 25 years ago when she entered the federal workforce. Her experience, skill, and courage will be invaluable to defending and advancing policy that helps all Americans secure affordable, accessible health care.”
“From lowering the price of prescription drugs and capping costs for seniors, to expanding post-partum coverage for new moms and enrolling more than 24 million people through ACA marketplaces, I couldn’t be more proud of the work we did in the Biden administration to improve our health care system, especially for historically underserved communities,” said new TCF Senior Fellow Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “But the job is far from done. It will take a new playbook to protect against threats from the Trump administration and continue our work to lower costs and expand coverage. That is why I’m so excited to join the team at TCF and get to work.”
As CMS Administrator, Brooks-LaSure oversaw programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance marketplaces. Key accomplishments during her tenure include enrolling over 100 million people in Affordable Care Act or Medicaid coverage to achieve the lowest uninsured rate in U.S. history; implementing the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs for Medicare enrollees and successfully negotiating lower prescription drug prices for Medicare; strengthening requirements on hospitals to improve maternal health outcomes and working to reduce red tape and barriers to care across all of CMS programs, such as efforts on prior authorization; and expanding access to patient navigation services and supporting caregivers.
A former policy official who played a key role in guiding the ACA through passage and implementation, Brooks-LaSure has decades of experience in the federal government, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector. She previously served as deputy director for policy at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and earlier at the Department of Health & Human Services as director of coverage policy, where she led the agency’s implementation of ACA coverage and insurance reform policy provisions.
Earlier in her career, Brooks-LaSure assisted House leaders in passing several health care laws, including the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 and the ACA, as part of the Democratic staff for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee. She began her career at the Office of Management and Budget, coordinating Medicaid policy development for the health financing branch. Her role included evaluating policy options and briefing White House and federal agency officials on policy recommendations with regard to the uninsured, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
In 2023, Modern Healthcare named her the most influential person in health care, and TIME included her in the 100 most influential global leaders in health. Brooks-LaSure received her Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Princeton University and her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.