POPULATION HEALTH ALLIANCE
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
The Population Health Alliance Government Affairs (GA) Committee is a member’s only forum that meets monthly to discuss key priority policy and advocacy issues. As part of the agenda, Leavitt Partners provides an up to the minute policy briefing to include the status of proposed legislation, interpretation and implementation of existing law and WH Administration appointees and policy views.
Current Activity:
Population Health Alliance Policy Statement: SNAP, Nutrition Policy, and Food as Medicine & Health (March 30, 2026). See the statement: SNAP, Nutrition Policy, and Food as Medicine & Health
Population Health Alliance Statement on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (March 2026). See the statement: Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Statement on Consolidated Appropriations Act. See the statement: Consolidated Appropriations Act
Population Health Alliance Statement on New Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025 – 2030 See the statement: Dietary Guidelines
Population Health Alliance Recommendations Regarding Changes to Pediatric Immunization Schedule See the statement: Vaccine Schedule Statement
The Population Health Alliance is enthusiastic about the CMS Innovation Center’s Long‑term Enhanced Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Design (LEAD) model. See the statement: LEAD Statement
PHA is enthusiastic about the CMS Access Model. See the statement: Population Health Alliance Applauds CMS’s ACCESS Model
Recently, the GA Committee responded to Secretary Kennedy’s stated goals of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. PHA Letter to the HHS (Apr. 2025)
Ongoing Activity:
There is much work in between meetings by committee taskforces. As new matters are brought before the PHA GA Committee, the following policy statement and principles are applied:
Population Health Alliance Statement on ACIP Dismissals
The Population Health Alliance (PHA) is deeply concerned about the dismissal of all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The ACIP is a cornerstone of our nation’s immunization strategy and provides non-partisan, scientifically based recommendations to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The removal of these experts will disrupt this critical process, erode public trust, and create confusion and uncertainty.
While conflicts of interest can and do occur, public health agencies, academic institutions, and regulatory bodies have strict guidelines for managing these conflicts, as does the ACIP.
The Population Health Alliance joins our colleagues in the medical and scientific communities in urging a return to a transparent, evidence-based approach to immunizations. We call on the administration to reinstate the dismissed ACIP members and reaffirm its commitment to scientific integrity and evidence-based decision-making.
2026 PHA Government Affairs Principles
The Population Health Alliance educates key stakeholders and policy makers, and advocates for and contributes to shaping policies that prioritize the health and well-being of populations through:
- Ensuring that all individuals have stable access to safe and affordable choices in selecting their health and well-being benefits, including behavioral health, nutrition, fitness, sleep, social connections, and physical environment;
- Lowering barriers to high-value, affordable physical health, behavioral health, and well-being programs for employees, their dependents, and Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries;
- Continuously and responsibly introducing innovative digital health solutions (i.e., technology that improves health and delivery of healthcare services, inclusive of AI, telehealth, and clinical decision support) to create positive experiences and outcomes for all individuals;
- Promoting community-based efforts and support of programs that address social care and health equity to promote health and well-being;
- Supporting individuals’ active engagement with their care teams through person-centered, whole-person care and limiting non-care-related burdens and distractions for both patients and providers;
- Emphasizing research and quality in the delivery of health and well-being benefits and programs to all individuals;
- Ensuring inclusion of payment model monitoring, dissemination of insights, and relevance to population health.
These principles are uniformly applied to represent our multi-stakeholder association membership in setting priorities, establishing educational programming, and commenting on proposed rule-making and other public policy initiatives.
Sample Federal Policies and Initiatives PHA Supported
1. Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Act H.R. 2503 introduced by Bustos (D-IL), Cole (R-OK), McGovern (D-MA) and Mullin (R-OK)
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services would convene the Social Determinants Accelerator Interagency Council. The Council would include program experts from across the federal government, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor and the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as state and local government officials, the private sector and community-based organizations.
- Grant funding would be made available to state, local and Tribal governments to develop Social Determinants Accelerator Plans. Plans would: o Target a group of high-need Medicaid patients, like homeless individuals, older workers with arthritis, nursing home patients, or mothers diagnosed with postpartum depression; o Identify the key outcomes to be achieved through improved coordination of health and non-health services and use of evidence-based interventions; and o Include a plan for linking data across programs measuring the impact of the new approach on the health of participants and the return-on-investment for taxpayers.
- The Council would provide technical assistance to grantees to help them implement their plans by identifying federal authorities, opportunities and strategies for braiding and blending funds and designing rigorous evaluations. To ensure all jurisdictions can benefit, the Council will broadly disseminate best practices and opportunities for cross-program coordination.
2. The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2021 (S. 104/H.R. 379) Sen. Smith (DMN) Rep. Barragan (D-CA)
- Improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities by coordinating CDC SDOH activities; and
- Improve capacity of public health agencies and community organizations to address SDOHs:
- Coordinate across CDC to ensure programs consider and incorporate SDOH in grants and activities.
- Award grants to state, local, territorial, and Tribal health agencies and organizations to address SDOHs in target communities.
- Award grants to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education to conduct research on SDOH best practices; provide technical assistance, training and evaluation assistance to target community grantees; and disseminate best practices.
- Coordinate, support, and align SDOH activities at CDC with other federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and others.
- Collect and analyze data related to SDOH activities. Recommend we consider, depending on if PHA has a position on bi-partisan bills. These bills are not bi-partisan.
3. LINC to Social Needs Act (S. 509) introduced by Senators Sullivan (R. AK) and Murphy (D-CT)
While there are regional pockets of community integrated network innovation, social service systems and the health care system are not generally connected in a sustainable, standardized way, which limits data sharing, shared accountability, and service coordination. These limitations make it difficult for states to promote coordinated service delivery and manage public health emergencies. The LINC to Address Social Needs Act (S. 509) would establish statewide or regional partnerships to better coordinate health care and social services. States, through public-private partnerships, will leverage local expertise and technology to overcome longstanding challenges in helping to connect people to food, housing, child development, job training, and transportation supports and services. Recommend PHA endorse this bipartisan bill.
4. Funding support letters for the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) at the CDC.
Two separate letters have gone to the Appropriations Committee in support of tripling of the NCCDPHP budget; the first letter was from the vast array of patient groups led by the American Heart Association, and the second was from the public health community led by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. While these letters have gone without PHA endorsement, this is an effort that will be ongoing and we should find ways to align and support in the future. Support $3.8 billion, a tripling of funding, for CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. CDC funds proven strategies that address the nation’s leading causes of death and disability—diabetes, cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and obesity. Increased funding is imperative to address chronic conditions that heighten risks for COVID-related hospitalizations and fatalities and to stem the growing pandemic of sedentary behavior and poor nutrition. 90% of the nation’s health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions, yet the Center’s funding has remained flat for over a decade. CDC’s “Chronic Center” provides funding to address health disparities and social determinants of health and advances strategies to expand access to health care coverage and payment for these programs. These strategies recognize that health outcomes are influenced by factors outside the clinical setting and include lifestyle health, social and economic factors, and the physical environments where people live. Many of these chronic conditions are more common, diagnosed later, and result in worse outcomes for marginalized populations, including people of color, people living with disabilities and mental and substance abuse disorders, older adults, LGBTQ populations and people with low incomes and education.
Ms. Polak is a senior director based in Washington, D.C. In her role, she provides policy counsel and analysis to clients with matters involving regu-lations, legislation, and business implications. Anne Marie’s experience includes developing strategic messages and policy positions for Capitol Hill, administration, trade associations, and corporate audiences. Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Anne Marie was a vice president for Faegre BD Consulting in the firm’s health and biosciences group. She also spent five years with the Podesta Group in Washington, D.C., while completing her law degree in the evenings at the George Mason University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2010. Anne Marie also worked in the government and legal affairs office of Novo Nordisk in Washington, D.C., and as a congressional aide to Rep. Michael Ferguson of New Jersey.
Dr. Fabius has recently returned to his start up. HealthNEXT, a company dedicated to the development of organizational cultures of health — after serving as Chief Medical Officer of Truven Health Analytics (formerly the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters), the world’s leading source of intelligent information for business and professionals. In this capacity he is charged with developing and deepening relationships with customers, advising on product development, and providing counsel to the leadership on business strategy and medical issues. Formerly, Dr. Fabius served as strategic advisor to the President of Walgreens Health & Wellness Division. This organization will coordinate over 1,000 workplace health centers and 10,000 pharmacies, many with retail clinics, into a seamless primary care network across the country within the next five years. In the not too distant future, it will be possible to offer large employers medical and fitness services on-site as well as episodic illness care, health coaching and disease management monitoring at the employee’s nearest Walgreens pharmacy.
Mr. Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and a New York Timesbestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world—dubbed Blue Zones—where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic are two of the most popular for both publications.
Ms. Cooney provides strategic direction for the Centers three Pillars of Population Health – Clinical to Community Connections, Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health, and Public Health Data Analytics and Informatics. Mary Ann previously worked for 14 years at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services where she was Deputy Commissioner for the Department and Director of Public Health.
Mr. Scully is a General Partner in the Healthcare Group, having joined WCAS in 2004. Before joining WCAS, he was the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for three years and the President and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals for six years. He also served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and as the Associate Director of OMB under President GHW Bush from 1989 to 1993, and has practiced law at Alston and Bird; Patton Boggs; and Akin, Gump, Strauss Hauer and Feld. He is a Principal at the Lincoln Policy Group.
Dr. Don Wright has served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) since January 2012. In this capacity, he leads coordination and policy development for public health and prevention activities within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is also currently the acting Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.
Dr. Sidorov is a board-certified in general internal medicine physician with more than 25 years of experience in primary care, inpatient care, medical education and evidence-based practice. Jaan believes physician leadership throughout the continuum of care is the bedrock of value-based care delivery. He received his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire. Jaan also served as a Chief Resident at Reading Hospital in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Ostrovsky is a practicing physician, social entrepreneur, and health policy expert who specializes in human-centered design, lean manage-ment, quality improvement, population health, and digital health. Dr. Ostrovsky was most recently the Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), the nation’s largest insurer covering over 74 million people, annually.
Dr. Choice is vice president and medical director for physical medicine services at American Specialty Health (ASH). Dr. Choice oversees the Rehabilitation Services Clinical Quality Evaluation program and leads the content development, training and clinical quality processes for ASH’s musculoskeletal health and pain management products.
Ms. Forte is responsible for leading Tufts Health Public Plans expansion efforts. Prior to her current position, she was vice president of care management for all Public Plans members.
As Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ms. Bowman oversees new social needs intervention initiatives among our clinical partners — including program design, resource database build-outs, and integration of Health Leads’ signature technology, Reach. Elise brings 10 years of direct service experience to her role, having previously served as a Health Leads program manager, a case manager for adults struggling with mental illness and homelessness, and in developing parent engagement initiatives in public education settings.
Mr. Johnson leads the Sage Consulting’s work for a number of public sector, corporate, non-profit and multi-employer clients. David brings particular expertise in evidence-based workplace wellness programs and leveraging Behavioral Economics principles in Human Resources Management. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Towson University.
Dr. Wadhwa is a leader in building population health programs for vulnerable populations. He serves as the senior vice president of market innovation and is the chief health officer for Solera Health where he is focused on scaling the Diabetes Prevention Program as well as health-related, social support interventions. Previously, Sandeep held population health leadership positions with 3M and McKesson. He also served as the State Medicaid Director for Colorado under its former Governor. While there, he oversaw a $4 billion program and led the effort to implement an accountable care collaborative. Sandeep also serves on the board of Reinvestment Fund, a $1 billion non-profit, financial institute devoted to revitalizing low-income neighborhoods. Sandeep continues to see patients at the Seniors Clinic at the University of Colorado Hospital where he serves as associate clinical professor in the division of Geriatric Medicine.
Focused on the intersection of information technology, informatics, clinical medicine and innovation, Dr. Jain is VP and Chief Health Informatics Officer at IBM Watson Health. He was Co-Founder, Senior VP and Chief Medical Officer of Explorys, Inc. formed in 2009 based on innovations that he developed while at the Cleveland Clinic. In April 2015, Explorys was acquired by IBM as an integral component of the newly formed Watson Health business unit. In 2017, he was appointed by Congress to the Federal Health IT Advisory Committee established by the 21st Century Cures Act.
Ms. Maljanian is an accomplished senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in the health care industry. Rose’s leadership experience
John Haughton MD, MS