United States of Care

Now that we know the outcome of this election, United States of Care will continue to do what we’ve always done – drive people-centered policy solutions based in what we hear in our listening work. We also know that threats to coverage, access, and affordability are overwhelmingly unpopular with people. Let us be clear – we will strongly oppose any attack on people’s ability to afford and access the care they need and the coverage gains we’ve worked hard to secure over the years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Fear of losing coverage keeps people up at night. Our leaders should take these insights to heart and focus on expanding access and improving quality, not cutting corners and undermining our progress. Let’s prioritize the solutions people overwhelmingly need. Read our statement below.

Thank you so much for having me, it was a very fun interview!

📢 We’re #Hiring: Director of Federal Policy 📢 Are you passionate about shaping a better, more equitable health care system? United States of Care is seeking a Director of Federal Policy to lead our advocacy efforts within Congress, the Administration, and among national stakeholders. This pivotal role will drive our federal policy strategy, representing USofCare’s work on critical issues like expanding coverage, value-based care, maternal and child health, and addressing affordability challenges across the health care system. What We’re Looking For: ✔️ 10+ years of experience in federal health care policy (legislative/executive branches, advocacy, or related fields). ✔️ Deep expertise in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, ACA, and policies tackling health inequities. ✔️ A proactive, collaborative leader with strong analytical, writing, and relationship-building skills. ✔️ A commitment to advancing health care solutions that prioritize equity, affordability, and access for all. The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $140,000, based on experience and location. Join our team of innovative problem-solvers and help shape a health care system that works for everyone. 🗓️ Applications will be reviewed starting December 9, 2024 – so don’t wait! Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/euF2r6sR #HealthCarePolicy #FederalPolicy #HealthEquity #JobOpportunity #USofCare

📢 We’re #Hiring: Director of Federal Policy 📢 Are you passionate about shaping a better, more equitable health care system? United States of Care is seeking a Director of Federal Policy to lead our advocacy efforts within Congress, the Administration, and among national stakeholders. This pivotal role will drive our federal policy strategy, representing USofCare’s work on critical issues like expanding coverage, value-based care, maternal and child health, and addressing affordability challenges across the health care system. What We’re Looking For: ✔️ 10+ years of experience in federal health care policy (legislative/executive branches, advocacy, or related fields). ✔️ Deep expertise in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, ACA, and policies tackling health inequities. ✔️ A proactive, collaborative leader with strong analytical, writing, and relationship-building skills. ✔️ A commitment to advancing health care solutions that prioritize equity, affordability, and access for all. The salary range for this position is $110,000 – $140,000, based on experience and location. Join our team of innovative problem-solvers and help shape a health care system that works for everyone. 🗓️ Applications will be reviewed starting December 9, 2024 – so don’t wait! Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/euF2r6sR #HealthCarePolicy #FederalPolicy #HealthEquity #JobOpportunity #USofCare

✅ Advancing Women's Health Through 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 The health care needs of women in the U.S. are urgent and complex, yet our current system often falls short. The U.S. has some of the worst maternal health outcomes among high-income countries, and women are more likely to delay preventive care, take on caregiving roles, and experience chronic conditions like dementia. Deep disparities in access, quality, and outcomes across race, ethnicity, geography, and socioeconomic status further underscore the need for change. Accountable care offers a promising way forward. By moving beyond fee-for-service models, accountable care prioritizes health outcomes and patient experiences—aligning with what patients want most: care that puts them first. We call this “Patient-First Care”. Last month, we partnered with Accountable for Health and the National Partnership for Women & Families to host a virtual Congressional briefing, "Advancing Women’s Health & Patient-First Care Through Innovation & Payment Reform." Experts like Dr. Kristin Oaks, Lisa Hunter, and Dr. Carol Sakala shared patient stories and policy insights, underscoring how accountable care models are improving women’s health across all stages of life. 💡 Highlights include: 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺: Addressing the maternal health crisis with the upcoming CMMI Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model, which promotes patient-first, high-quality care for mothers and newborns. 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲: Leveraging the CMS GUIDE Model to improve dementia care coordination, a vital need for women, who are disproportionately affected. 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: Encouraging federal and state leaders to support payment reforms that foster quality, equity, and access to patient-centered care. Patient-first care has the power to improve health outcomes across women’s lifespans. As we continue advocating for these reforms, we need to work together to ensure every woman receives the high-quality, compassionate care she deserves. Check the comments for the link to our blog ⤵

It is a complete honor to see the future of United States of Care in the hands of our amazing staff. Our staff retreat was this week and while I am always in awe of the smart and passionate people who choose to work here, it also struck me this week that this is a milestone as an entrepreneur. At the beginning of starting anything new, you feel the weight of every single decision. You file the IRS paperwork, open the bank account, endlessly discuss branding, all while moving forward the founding strategy and team structure, while making progress in fundraising and power building. This week I saw our whole staff discussing the future of our public engagement and listening work, our state and federal advocacy, our development strategy, and our internal culture. How we will continue to have an impact for millions and millions more people. The organization is a living organism that is being shaped in ways I could never have dreamed of. How amazing. How lucky. How thankful.

💡 How can we reshape our health care system to prioritize the patient perspective? Our policy experts, Elizabeth Hagan and Eric Waskowicz, advocate for the patient-first model. Through our listening efforts, we’ve learned that care is often fragmented, with our broken fee-for-service system leaving patients stuck in waiting rooms and shuttling between providers. 😞 Our vision for a patient-first care model means: ➜ Rewarding providers for a job well done, realigning incentives toward positive health outcomes ➜ Working with patients throughout the process of building patient-first care models ➜ Delivering care that meets people’s whole-person needs, recognizing the critical role of primary care ➜ Ensuring accountability through evaluation and reporting These principles create a framework for moving beyond the conversation of patient-first care and enacting solutions that meet people’s needs. ❤️ It’s time to break up with a broken system. Read the full post here 👇 🔗: https://lnkd.in/evdYtifq

👂 In listening to women across the country about their postpartum journeys, we’ve found that a crucial part of the story often goes overlooked: the experiences of their partners. Many women mention their partners as essential support. Yet, significant others bring a unique perspective on the gaps and areas for improvement in the months and even years after birth. To explore this, Maya Wadhwa, Akeen Lowell Hamilton, PhD, and Venice Haynes, PhD, MSPH conducted interviews with Black men who’ve had children in the past three years. Here’s what we learned: ❤️🩹 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Interviewees expressed a range of emotions (sad, angry, confused, overwhelmed, stressed) in the year after supporting their partner. Many noticed a disparity between the care for them and their birthing partners. 🧠 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵: All participants struggled with mental health in the year after their baby was born. They felt the need to put their partner’s mental state above their own, often to the detriment of their well-being. 🏥 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲: Challenges with coverage added strain. For example, one participant struggled to access mental health medication for his partner, highlighting the added cost of individualized care. ❓𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Participants described difficulty finding resources on parenting, mental health, postpartum depression, and emotion regulation. One found guidance from a male doula particularly helpful. Listening to partner perspectives is crucial to understanding the maternal health landscape. Providing resources and support for partners can offer a more holistic postpartum experience. Learn about our findings below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eCP-GduX

#ICYMI, our CEO Natalie Davis and Chief Program Officer Kristin Wikelius represented USofCare at HLTH USA in Vegas! 🦄💪 Natalie moderated a panel titled “𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴” where panelists discussed proactive approaches to navigating the unpredictable landscape of reproductive rights. With shifting policies and fundamental rights at stake, the health industry is embracing innovative strategies—like telehealth, mobile units, strategic partnerships, and contingency planning—to build resilient systems that prioritize patient needs and protect access to care, even in uncertain times. Kristin joined “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁: 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵” to discuss the CMS draft rule for the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and its significant updates for digital health. These changes introduce new payments and coverage options for digital services, telehealth, and audio-only telehealth, as the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, alongside state Medicaid programs, works to stabilize digital health following the public health emergency. It was an honor to have Natalie and Kristin there—United States of Care is boldly stepping into health care’s future by making health care more affordable, dependable, personalized, and understandable. To learn more about our work in maternal health care and AI in health care, take a look in the comments! #HLTHUSA

👂Putting people’s voices at the heart of health care can spark true transformation. 💫 Our listening work shows that people want coordinated, 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩-𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 (known widely as value-based care)—a system where providers communicate effectively to support whole-person care. This approach prioritizes quality over quantity in a way that resonates with people and what they want the most in their health care. Yesterday’s announcement from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proves the power of the patient-first care model. In 2023, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) saved Medicare $2.1 billion while enhancing care quality and reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) led by primary care providers (PCPs) are leading the charge by delivering lower-cost, more coordinated care—especially to underserved populations. The results speak volumes: 🌟 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 in critical areas like diabetes and blood pressure management, cancer screenings, and mental health support. 🌟 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 for underserved communities to advance health equity.  🌟 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 on the vital role of primary care in patient-first models. Our Patient-First Care Policy Principles offer a roadmap for policymakers to ensure that health care models put patients needs and outcomes first at every stage. We encourage policymakers and stakeholders to use these principles as a lens for evaluating policy proposals, ensuring that new models and legislation fulfill the promise of patient-first care. Take a look at our Patient-First Care Principles in the comments ⤵