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Creating change at the federal level for health care policy is a long and arduous process. So what can states do to improve health care policies?

On Tuesday, September 24 at 2:00 PM, join The Century Foundation as we discuss how states can promote health equity while also lowering the cost of health care through insurance reforms. We will share findings from our new series of reports and hear from policymakers and advocates who have successfully fought for health care reforms.

Live CART and ASL interpretation will be provided.

Featuring:

  • Secretary Kody Kinsley, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
  • Hunter Kellett, director of health care – commercial sector prices, Arnold Ventures
  • Isabel Cruz, policy director, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
  • Heather Howard, director, State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) program at Princeton University and TCF board member
  • Moderator: Thomas Waldrop, fellow, The Century Foundation

Presented by The Century Foundation. 

Speaker Bios

Kody Kinsley serves as North Carolina’s Secretary of Health & Human Services, overseeing a department with over 18,000 staff and a $38 billion budget. With experience centered on health policy and operations, Kinsley worked on digital healthcare transformation, national education and labor policies, and served as COO and CFO of the U.S. Treasury.

Secretary Kinsley’s three priorities for the department are: Investing in behavioral health and resilience, improving child and family well-being, and building a strong and inclusive workforce.

Guided by his leadership, North Carolina expanded Medicaid, reaching record enrollment rates: over 500,000 individuals in just 7 months. He also secured nearly $1 billion to bolster major policy changes and overhaul the state’s behavioral health system. To further invest in the health and well-being of North Carolinians, he spearheaded a first-in-the-nation effort that will relieve $4 billion in medical debt for 2 million North Carolinians, without any financial burden on state taxpayers.

Kinsley grew up in Wilmington, earning his bachelor’s degree from Brevard College and his master’s in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley.

Hunter Kellett develops and oversees strategic investments to help lower health care spending. Before joining Arnold Ventures, he worked as a senior analyst on federal health care programs for the White House Office of Management and Budget. In this role, Hunter provided analysis and recommendations to senior policy officials on changes to Medicare payment policies, implementing the Medicaid expansion, and extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Hunter also served as a legislative budget analyst for the Georgia State Senate on the health, human services, and criminal justice subcommittees.

Hunter holds a master’s of public administration from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s in public policy from the University of Southern California.

Isabel Cruz is a passionate advocate dedicated to amplifying the voices of consumers and marginalized communities to promote equity and wellness in Colorado. Originally hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Isabel earned her BA in Sociology from Yale University with a certificate from the Multidisciplinary Academic Program in Human Rights. With over 6 years of experience in nonprofits across New York, New Haven, and Denver, she has dedicated her career to building power and nurturing leadership across diverse stakeholders to advance social change. In her role as Policy Director at CCHI, Isabel is committed to bringing people together to advocate for policy solutions that ensure all Coloradans can access affordable and affirming healthcare. In her free time, you can find her exploring on her bike, taking her dog Mariposa on hikes and walks, and playing Ultimate Frisbee!

Heather Howard is professor of the practice and director in the State Health and Value Strategies program at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; co-director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing’s Global Health Program; and director of State Health and Value Strategies, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded program focused on assisting states with transforming their health care systems to be affordable, equitable, and innovative. She served as New Jersey’s commissioner of health and senior services from 2008 to 2010. She received her JD, cum laude, from the New York University School of Law, and her BA, cum laude, from Duke University.

Thomas Waldrop is a health care policy fellow at The Century Foundation, where he focuses on health care coverage, access and affordability of health care, and health equity. Prior to joining TCF, Waldrop served as a policy analyst for health policy at the Center for American Progress. Waldrop holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a master’s degree in health policy from George Washington University.