Director, Health Policy

Washington, DC, United States

Organization Overview Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health includes the nonprofit and nonpartisan Gary and Mary West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. These organizations are working together toward a shared mission: lowering the cost of healthcare to enable successful aging with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. For more information, visit westhealth.org and follow @westhealth . The West Health Policy Center is focused on research and education to identify innovations and policy solutions that can slow the trajectory of rising healthcare costs while improving access to—and the quality of—care, particularly for our nation’s growing population of seniors. Our focus is lowering healthcare costs, improving health outcomes, and enabling the creation of a system that is more transparent, competitive, affordable, person-centered, quality-driven, and sustainable. Specific focus areas include lowering national and consumer healthcare spending, advancing integrated behavioral healthcare, promoting value-based care models, increasing price transparency, and limiting consumer exposure to high out-of-pocket costs. Position Summary The Director, Health Policy will identify, lead, and produce cross-cutting, actionable policy options to ultimately lower healthcare costs for employers, states, the federal government, and households. Among other activities, the Director, Health Policy will identify high impact policy analyses, identify and lead constructive collaborations with like-minded, highly respected organizations, and draft issue briefs and research papers, analyze healthcare spending and utilization data, produce effective graphics to convey research results and key messages, help implement communications and outreach strategies, and work collaboratively with colleagues across the Policy Center and the West Health Institute. The ideal candidate has an educational and employment background in health policy or related field with experience synthesizing data and research to produce effective and clear written materials useful to policymakers and/or the public. Key policy areas include national, state, employer, and consumer spending on healthcare across all settings of care, behavioral health, value-based care payment policies, and alternative care delivery models for aging. Essential Duties and Functions Investigate policy reform opportunities to support healthcare cost initiatives; devise legislative and regulatory strategies; lead calculation of relevant budgetary estimates.

Produce rigorous analyses of payment policies, benefit design, and the delivery of care to seniors; engage with West Health Data Science team to ensure alignment with Policy Center strategies.

Lead production of West Health policy research publications; publish proposals and evaluations in major policy outlets.

Work with congressional staff in crafting policy reforms to support healthcare cost initiatives and educate them of potential legislative opportunities.

Lead WHPC engagement with DC think tank community, to gain support for cost of care and successful aging initiatives; convene groups to support their implementation.

Explore, design, and execute research opportunities with mission-aligned partner organizations.

Monitoring federal legislative and regulatory activities affecting projects and topics of interest to West Health entities; provide counsel and assistance to other West Health entities.

Distill complex health policy, politics, and research issues and positions into succinct message points that educate policy makers and other stakeholders, including internal West audiences, about WHPC’s viewpoints.

Collaborate with Communications Department on position papers and other relevant internal and external documents

. Qualifications and Experience

A graduate degree in a related field is preferred.

At least 10 years of applicable work experience in a health policy area is required.

Detailed knowledge of Medicare payment policies and regulations; sophisticated understanding of how policies relevant to cost of care and successful aging interact with political and budgetary constraints;

Experience on congressional committee staff with primary legislative and oversight responsibility for Medicare policy, or within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or with relevant advisory groups (MedPAC, MACPAC) preferred.

Demonstrated research and analytical skills applied to public policy issues, including ability to synthesize and summarize large amounts of information and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue. A keen understanding of the importance of such research and disseminating it effectively to policymakers, the media, and the public.

Significant experience in think-tank community, commissioning, managing, and publishing peer-reviewed policy research projects.

Mastery of health policy, economics, and political science literature relevant to Successful Aging; experience analyzing a range of health policy data sets; regular track record of publication in highest-level policy publications.

Experience reviewing legislation and regulations to conduct substantive, time-sensitive analysis relevant to cost of care and successful aging priorities; distilling the results into easily understood summaries, talking points, and PowerPoint presentations.

Demonstrated communication skills, including interpersonal skills to foster collaboration and oral/written presentation

Able to occasionally travel to meetings and conferences.

West Health Policy Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age, disability, or veteran's status.

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