The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation today announced that it has appointed Liz Sanchez as director of the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI), a dedicated arm of the Foundation’s policy and research agenda.
MMPI serves as an independent and nonpartisan source of information and analysis of MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program. As director, Sanchez will oversee the work of the institute, including tracking developments that affect MassHealth, guiding policy research, producing policy briefs, and working closely and collaboratively with state leaders, health care stakeholders, and advocacy organizations.
“With vast experience in community health and health care access policy, Liz brings the knowledge and skills that are needed to advance the critical work done through MMPI,” said Kaitlyn Kenney Walsh, president & CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. “Liz’s deep understanding of those perspectives will be invaluable as the Foundation connects what is happening on the ground with the policy conversations shaping MassHealth. This is especially important at a time when federal policy and funding changes are having dramatic impacts on this program and are directly challenging our mission.”
Sanchez has over 15 years of experience in federal, state, and local health policy development, analysis, and implementation. She spent much of her career with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, where she most recently served as the vice president of government affairs & public policy. She succeeds Katherine Howitt, who was named the foundation’s vice president of policy and research.
“I have spent much of my career working at the intersection of health policy and access to care, and I am thrilled to bring that experience to MMPI,” said Sanchez. “I look forward to building on the strong foundation of independent research and analysis and working with partners across the state to provide timely and practical information that can help inform policy decisions.”
Sanchez holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in public health from Northeastern University.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to ensure equitable access to health care for all those in the Commonwealth who are economically, racially, culturally, or socially marginalized. The Foundation was established in 2001 with an endowment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It operates separately from the company and is governed by its own Board of Directors. For more information, visit www.bluecrossmafoundation.org.
The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) is an independent and nonpartisan source of information and analysis about the Massachusetts Medicaid program, MassHealth. MMPI’s mission is to promote the development of effective Medicaid policy solutions through research and policy analysis. MMPI promotes broad understanding of MassHealth and its interrelatedness with other health care programs for low-income people and seeks to create a rigorous and thoughtful public discussion of the program’s successes and the challenges ahead. It collaborates with a wide spectrum of policy makers, legislators, researchers, providers, advocacy groups, consumer organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders.
