Symposium: State-Based Health Insurance Exchanges – The Way Forward

Leemore Dafny is a Professor of Management and Strategy and the Herman Smith Research Professor in Hospital and Health Services. Her research examines competitive interactions among payers and providers of healthcare services, and the intersection of industry and public policy. Dafny’s work has been published in journals such as the American Economic Review and the New England Journal of Medicine, and featured in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Bloomberg, and The Washington Post.

Current projects include studies of consolidation in the U.S. hospital industry and the kidney dialysis industry, organizational form of provider practices, copayment coupons for prescription drugs, and the implications of for-profit ownership of insurance companies.

Dafny graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College and worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company prior to earning her PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has won several teaching awards as well as Kellogg’s leading research prize, the Stanley Reiter Best Paper award. Dafny is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Faculty Fellow at Northwestern’s Institute of Policy Research, and a Board member of the American Society of Health Economists.

Dafny’s expertise spans both the public and private sectors. She has served on the Panel of Health Advisers for the Congressional Budget Office and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Retiree Health Benefits Commission. In 2012-2013, she took academic leave to assume the role of Deputy Director for Healthcare and Antitrust in the Bureau of Economics at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC. Dafny regularly advises companies, government agencies, and nonprofits on a variety of issues including antitrust matters, strategic decisions, and public policy.

David Dranove is the Walter J. McNerney Professor of Health Industry Management at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, where he is also Professor of Management and Strategy. He has a PhD in Economics from Stanford University.

Professor Dranove’s research focuses on problems in industrial organization and business strategy with an emphasis on the health care industry. He has published nearly 100 research articles and book chapters and written five books, including The Economic Evolution of American Healthcare and What’s Your Life Worth? and writes the Code Red blog. His textbook, The Economics of Strategy, is used by leading business schools around the world.

Professor Garthwaite joined the faculty at the Kellogg School of Management in 2009. He is an applied microeconomist whose research examines the effects of government policies and social phenomena with a focus on the health sector. He has examined the labor supply effects of the Affordable Care Act, the reactions of non-profit hospitals to financial shocks, the economic benefits of health care innovations, and the changes in physician labor supply following large public health insurance expansions. He has also estimated the role of the emergence of crack cocaine markets in increasing the black-white education gap and the causal effect of cash transfers from government programs on health outcomes. Garthwaite also conducts research on the effects of celebrity endorsements, including estimating the impact of Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of President Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary and the spillover sales effects across cobranded products from prominent celebrity endorsements.

Garthwaite received a B.A. and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. Prior to receiving his PhD in Economics from the University of Maryland, he served in a variety of public policy positions including the Director of Research for the Employment Policies Institute. He has testified before the United States House of Representatives and several state legislatures on matters related to the minimum wage and health care reforms.

Dr. Liebovitz served for several years as the Chief Medical Informatics Officer for the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation at Northwestern University and is now the Associate Chief Medical Officer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Liebovitz is also the program director for the Northwestern School of Continuing Studies Masters Degree Program in Medical Informatics and teaches a healthcare technology course within the Health Enterprise Management Program at the Kellogg School of Management. In addition, Dr. Liebovitz works on the inpatient general medical service, sees outpatients in his clinical practice and supervises residents' inpatient and outpatient clinical experiences. Dr Liebovitz received his undergraduate degree in electrical/computer engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, medical school degree at the University of Illinois, and residency training at the University of Chicago.

Jennifer is Executive Director of GetCoveredIllinois, the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace. As Executive Director, she is responsible for the implementation and operations of all aspects of the health insurance marketplace for the State of Illinois, including all personnel, budget, procurement and grant-making decisions.

Prior to this role, she served as the Chief of Staff in Governor Pat Quinn’s Office of Legislative Affairs, where she assisted the Legislative Director in advancing Governor Quinn’s legislative agenda and budgetary priorities and interacted with members of the General Assembly on behalf of the administration.

Before joining the State, Jennifer served as Director of Government and Labor Relations at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the largest single-site detention center in the country. Prior to her service at the detention center, Jennifer was Chief of Staff to Cook County Commissioner (now Congressman) Mike Quigley for six years, where she managed the staff and oversaw the drafting of all legislation, numerous in-depth research reports and the commissioner’s annual budget analyses.

Jennifer obtained her law degree and her B.A. in English from Loyola University Chicago.

Mr. Gelder was appointed senior health policy advisor to Governor Pat Quinn on June 15, 2009. He advises the governor on all matters pertaining to national health reform, Medicaid, managed care, long term care reform, global budgeting, electronic medical records and health information exchange, representing the Governor’s office with health care provider associations, advocates and other stakeholders. Mr. Gelder was also appointed by the Governor to serve as chairman of the Health Care Reform Implementation Council. In January of 2014, Governor Quinn established the Governor’s Office of Health Innovation and Transformation (GOHIT) and Mr. Gelder currently serves as Executive Director. GOHIT is responsible for the implementation of the Alliance for Health Innovation Plan, including management of the Implementation Work Groups, technical assistance related to delivery system reform and stakeholder engagement.

Mr. Gelder previously served as Deputy Director for the Illinois Department on Aging. Prior to joining the Department on Aging, Mr. Gelder was principal of Michael A. Gelder and Associates, Inc. Established in 1977, the firm offered consultation, technical assistance, advocacy, and policy analysis to improve access, delivery, and quality of health care services for under-served populations. Mr. Gelder holds a master’s degree in health administration from Washington University, St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Carrie Banahan is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of the Health Benefit and Health Information exchange and is responsible for the implementation and operations of the Exchange. Carrie is a graduate from the University of Louisville and has over 30 years’ experience in State Government. From 2008-2012, she was the Executive Director of the Office of Health Policy and was responsible for the administration of the Certificate of Need program and Health Planning and development for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. During that time, Carrie also served as the implementation Director for Medicaid Managed Care in which 540,000 individuals was transitioned from a fee-for-service delivery system to managed care.

From 2006 to 2008, Ms. Banahan served as Deputy Commissioner for the Department for Medicaid Services. While at Medicaid, Carrie was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of Kentucky Health Choices and the new MMIS, as well as assisting with the development of new waiver programs.

From 1998 until 2006, she was employed by the Department of Insurance and worked in the Health Division as a Branch Manager, Division Director and also served as Deputy Commissioner. While at Insurance, Ms. Banahan was responsible for overseeing and implementing HIPPA insurance requirements, prompt pay laws for insurers, an internal and external review process for consumers, and a state high risk pool for individuals who were unable or had difficulty obtaining health insurance.

From 1986 to 1998, Carrie was employed by the Department for Medicaid Services and served in various capacities including policy development, drafting of Medicaid regulations and State Plan amendments and assisted with implementation of a new MMIS, and the Medicaid Partnership Program.

Cammie Blais has been supporting Connect for Health Colorado with finance and human resource services since early 2012 and joined the team as Chief Financial Officer in August 2012. As CFO, Cammie assists with strategic planning and oversees all finance, accounting, procurement and human resource functions. Prior to joining Connect for Health Colorado, she served for four years as owner of Bolder Business Solutions, a company that provided finance, human resource and specialized administrative services to businesses and nonprofit organizations. Prior to opening Bolder Business Solutions, Cammie spent over 21 years in various management positions including Director of Operations and Controller at Newstrom-Davis Construction Company, Director of Dealer Relations at Greenblock Worldwide Corporation and manager of Special Transportation Services at Dalby-Mayflower, a division of Mayflower Van Lines. She holds a bachelor degree in business and accounting from the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.

On May 16, 2012, Richard was appointed as the first CEO for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (HBE). Washington’s HBE was authorized by state legislation in 2011 (ESSHB 2319) and 2012 (SSB 5445), and was the second state to receive federal Level 2 funding to meet federal certification as it prepares for operation in January, 2014. Richard brings extensive public and private sector executive level policy and health care experience to this position. He was Assistant Director for Health Policy for the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) for over nine years, where he was responsible for programs and initiatives related to Governor Gregoire’s five point plan to improve quality and cost efficiency in Washington’s health care system, and also served as the State Health Information Technology (HIT) Coordinator. Prior to his service to the State of Washington, he spent over eight years as a manager and clinic administrator with Kaiser Permanente in Colorado. He has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky, and is a licensed psychologist.

Tom Matsuda is the Interim Executive Director of the Hawaii Health Connector, the State-based Marketplace for Hawaii under the Affordable Care Act. Tom started in his position in December, 2013, after serving in the Governor’s Office as the state’s ACA Implementation Manager. He is an attorney and a graduate of Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Prior to his involvement with the ACA in Hawaii, Tom represented small businesses in private practice in Portland, Oregon and then served as the Executive Director of Oregon’s largest Legal Aid program, Legal Aid Services of Oregon, for 11 years.

Peter Van Loon has a diverse background, including Fortune 500 and startup experience in healthcare services and technology companies. Mr. Van Loon most recently worked at Cigna, and in general has a strong background in operations, IT, and finance. He also worked at Aetna, as a consultant in the IT sector, and spent a year recently in Afghanistan and in Africa with the Reserves. Mr. Van Loon has performed duties as an overseas combat and logistics leader while a Captain in the United States Navy. Mr. Van Loon has a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Trinity College, and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Scott Leitz was named CEO by the Board of Directors on April 30, 3014, after serving as interim CEO since December 18, 2013. He brings 20 years of experience in the health care and public health sectors to the role.

Mr. Leitz comes to this role from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) where he was an assistant commissioner responsible for overseeing and managing the state’s Medicaid program. While there, he spearheaded the reform of the state’s managed care and procurement processes; implemented accountable payment and health care delivery models in Medicaid; and implemented the Affordable Care Act.

Prior to this position, he was director of public policy for Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Mr. Leitz has also held several positions at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), including serving as Assistant Commissioner where he oversaw the development, passage, and implementation of Minnesota’s landmark 2008 health reform act. At MDH, he also served as health policy division director, health economics program director, federal relations coordinator and research economist.

Mr. Leitz holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and earned a master’s in public affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

George Brandes is the Vice President for Health Care Programs at Jackson Hewitt, the nation’s second largest tax preparation firm. He is responsible for the planning and execution of programs surrounding the Affordable Care Act that help Jackson Hewitt customers access the new insurance affordability programs and marketplaces. Through this initiative, and with the benefit of a proprietary software system, Jackson Hewitt’s nearly 26,000 tax preparers across all 50 states are able to offer free ACA enrollment assistance to uninsured customers for both the tax credit program as well as Medicaid. He also serves as the firm’s liaison with Federal and state agencies regarding the ACA health programs as well as serving as the firm’s public spokesperson for the tax implications of federal health reform.

Prior to joining Jackson Hewitt, Mr. Brandes served with the Insurance Exchange Planning Initiative of Tennessee, as a member of the team charged with the state’s contingency planning efforts related to federal health care reform. Mr. Brandes received his Master’s degree in political economy from the London School of Economics, a Master’s degree in European Politics from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris), and his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Northwestern University – to which he is sincerely delighted to return for this symposium.

Teresa Miller is a partner at Crowell & Moring, LLP in Washington, DC. Her practice focuses primarily on assisting clients navigate the complex areas of Affordable Care Act compliance. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Teresa served as acting director of the State Exchanges Group and the Oversight Group at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). While at CMS, she helped the agency roll out regulations and guidance implementing the private market reforms of the ACA and helped develop and implement the rules governing state-based exchanges. Before CMS, Teresa served as the administrator of the Oregon Insurance Division, where she helped implement the early stages of the ACA at the state level.

Carolyn Quattrocki is currently the Executive Director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. Prior to her appointment, she was the Executive Director of Governor Martin O’Malley’s Office of Health Care Reform. She also served as a Deputy Legislative Officer and health policy advisor in the Governor’s Legislative Office, with primary responsibility for health care, insurance, and labor issues. Ms. Quattrocki also worked as a Special Assistant to Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. and as a litigation associate at the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. Ms. Quattrocki has a law degree from Yale University and a B.A. from Northwestern University.

Mila Kofman is the Executive Director of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority. Appointed to the position by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, Kofman is a nationally recognized expert on private health insurance markets and has worked with states and all stakeholders to implement health insurance reforms. Her approach is informed by her hands-on experience as the former Superintendent of Insurance in Maine implementing health insurance reforms, being a former federal regulator working with states to implement HIPAA reforms of the 1990s, studying state-based reform efforts and markets, and working with employer purchasing coalitions seeking to leverage purchasing power for sustainable financing of medical care. Ms. Kofman holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland (summa cum laude).

Jack Rovner, attorney and founding member of The Health Law Consultancy, is Best Lawyers 2014 Chicago “Lawyer of the Year” in health care law. The law firm he co-founded is a Chicago boutique rated Chicago Metropolitan Tier 1 in health care law by U.S. News-Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” and ranked in Illinois for health care law by Chambers USA.

Rovner counsels health plans, hospital systems and other health industry participants on health reform, antitrust, information privacy and data security, Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs, and federal regulatory compliance. Rovner is the author of numerous articles on health law topics and a regular speaker at industry conferences.

Rovner is listed among America’s leading health lawyers by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Best Lawyers in America. In 2002, Rovner was appointed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Regulatory Reform, serving on its Executive Committee. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Bloomberg BNA Health Law Reporter. Rovner received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Boston University Law School and a B.A. in Economics from Brandeis University.

Heather Howard is a lecturer in Public Affairs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a faculty affiliate of the Center for Health & Wellbeing. She is director of two Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded programs: the State Health Reform Assistance Network provides technical assistance to states implementing the Affordable Care Act, and the State Health and Value Strategies program supports state efforts to enhance the value of health care by improving population health and reforming the delivery of health care services. She served as New Jersey's Commissioner of Health and Senior Services from 2008-2010, overseeing a cabinet-level agency with a budget of $3.5 billion and staff of 1,700 responsible for public health services, regulation of health care institutions, senior services, and health care policy and research. Previously, she served as Governor Jon Corzine’s Chief Policy Counsel, directing his policy agenda. She also has significant federal experience, having worked as Senator Corzine's Chief of Staff, as Associate Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Senior Policy Advisor for First Lady Hillary Clinton, as an Honors Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division Health Care Task Force, and for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Howard received her J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law, serving a judicial clerkship with Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and her B.A. cum laude from Duke University.

Christine Ferguson joined HealthSource RI, Rhode Island’s health benefits exchange, as its director in 2012. Prior to joining HealthSource RI, she served on the faculty of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, teaching students about improving healthcare services, access and financing to deliver better health outcomes.

Ferguson has served for more than two decades at the highest levels government, developing an unusual combination of federal and state experience in health care financing, public health and social services. She has served as commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, director of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, and counsel and deputy chief of staff to the late U.S. Senator John H. Chafee. She is a subject matter expert in the areas of Medicare, Medicaid, tax expenditures, public health and safety, obesity and chronic disease, maternal and child health, safety net providers and commercial insurance. She is committed to making existing federal and state health systems work more effectively.

Ferguson served on the Committee on Health Insurance Status and its Consequences at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, as well as on the board on Children, Youth and Families for the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She has also served as director of the STOP Obesity Alliance. In addition, she has served on the boards of Neighborhood Health Plan, the National Academy of State Health Policy and a variety of other national organizations. She has been named one of the most influential health policy makers by Faulkner and Gray Healthcare and one of the nation’s 100 most influential lawyers by the National Law Journal.

Ferguson earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a JD from the Washington College of Law, The American University.