Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz Announces Planned Departure from Better Medicare Alliance

Click HERE or the image above to watch a video message from Congresswoman Schwartz announcing her future plans

Washington, D.C. –  Today, Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) President and CEO Allyson Y. Schwartz announced her future plans to depart the coalition that she helped launch, capping off a remarkable six-year tenure as the organization’s first President and CEO.

Schwartz came to BMA in 2015 after a decade in Congress which saw her ascend to powerful roles on the Ways and Means Committee and as a senior member of the Budget Committee. Schwartz helped lead the charge for passage of the Affordable Care Act and was a champion for primary care, health technology, and the move to integrated health care.

As President and CEO, Congresswoman Schwartz guided BMA from its infancy to its place today as the nation’s leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage. On her watch, Better Medicare Alliance grew from 13 founding Ally organizations to 156 Allies representing the top names in health care. Schwartz also oversaw the launch of a grassroots component to Better Medicare Alliance’s work that now engages more than 500,000 seniors and the addition of BMA’s research arm, the Center for Innovation in Medicare Advantage.

“I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished at Better Medicare Alliance and appreciate the trust and confidence so many organizations and individuals placed in me as we worked together to explore policy, explain the value of Medicare Advantage, and create a vision for the future of Medicare,” said Allyson Y. Schwartz, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance.  “I look forward to seeing Better Medicare Alliance continue to play an important role in advocating for the innovative care and benefit design in Medicare Advantage that is modernizing Medicare for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.”

“We are enormously grateful for Congresswoman Schwartz’s leadership, clarity of vision, and drive. She has built a vibrant organization bringing together stakeholders across the spectrum in support of Medicare Advantage, which is tremendously increasing Latinos’ access to and participation in needed health care,” said Elena Rios, MD, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association and Member of the Better Medicare Alliance Board of Directors.

Better Medicare Alliance Board of Directors member Gary Puckrein, Ph.D., President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum, added, “Congresswoman Schwartz’s strategic thinking and ability to draw in diverse interests created an organization that is timely in its commentary and advocacy and ahead of the curve in its research and policy. Respect for Congresswoman Schwartz among her peers helped Better Medicare Alliance maintain strong relationships with Members of Congress, current and former administration officials, and thought leaders across the political spectrum.” 

“As a founding Ally organization of Better Medicare Alliance, AMGA had a front-row seat to Congresswoman Schwartz’s strong leadership these past six years. Her record speaks for itself – she grew the coalition from 13 to 156 Ally organizations, helped secure record-setting Congressional support for Medicare Advantage in Congress, and published a library of trusted research and reports. Her accomplishments show the importance of speaking together on behalf of providers, plans, community partners, and beneficiaries in support of the high-value care provided in Medicare Advantage,” said Jerry Penso, MD, MBA, President and CEO of AMGA and President of the Board of Directors, the Center for Innovation in Medicare Advantage.

“Congresswoman Schwartz has made her mark as a leader in health policy, both in Congress and in the private sector. She is one of the nation’s top experts on Medicare Advantage, and I know that she will continue to advance understanding of the program and its role in U.S. health care wherever her illustrious career goes next,” said Susan Dentzer, Senior Policy Fellow, Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University, former Editor in Chief, Health Affairs, and member of the Board of Directors, BMA’s Center for Innovation in Medicare Advantage.

Congresswoman Schwartz will continue as President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance for the next six months to facilitate a smooth transition to new executive leadership.

Lawmakers and health care leaders paid tribute to Congresswoman Schwartz and the work of BMA upon news of the coming transition: 

“From her historic tenure as the longest-serving woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania – the only woman in the Pennsylvania delegation for most of those ten years – to her six years of success at the helm of Better Medicare Alliance, Congresswoman Schwartz has stood up for the health care needs of Americans with the same tenacity and conviction that I’ve admired throughout our friendship. I congratulate Congresswoman Schwartz as she moves on to a new chapter in her remarkable career and look forward to great things from her and the organization that she has led so well,” said Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07).

“I want to extend my gratitude and well wishes to Congresswoman Schwartz as she and Better Medicare Alliance prepare a transition in executive leadership. Allyson was a former leader of the New Democrat Coalition and a highly effective member of Congress. That’s why lawmakers of all political persuasions and lengths of service have tremendous respect for her and for the expertise and passion that she brings to health care policy. She will be missed in her current role, but I know she will remain a visible force for health care access, quality, and equity for years to come,” said Congressman Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Chairman Emeritus of the New Democrat Coalition. 

“It has been my privilege to work closely with Congresswoman Schwartz both in her capacity as President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance, as co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Health and Housing Task Force, and while she was a member in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her ability to find common ground is exceptional and an important model as to how we move forward to achieve shared bipartisan goals. She has left an indelible mark on national health policy and there is no doubt that beneficiaries are better off today because of her leadership. I congratulate her on a job well done,” said G. William Hoagland, Senior Vice President, Bipartisan Policy Center.

“Congresswoman Schwartz has deep credibility on Medicare Advantage by virtue of her experience, her creativity, and the work of Better Medicare Alliance. She has driven broad bipartisan support for Medicare Advantage that has lead to the program being poised to be the dominant form of Medicare by 2025. Better Medicare Alliance can build on the Congresswoman’s success and I look forward to seeing what her future holds as well,” said Dan Mendelson, Founder, Avalere Health.

“The success of Medicare Advantage reflects years of behind-the-scenes work from Congresswoman Schwartz and Better Medicare Alliance. I have watched her in action from my time at the Congressional Budget Office to my work at American Action Forum. She has a unique ability to bring diverse groups and interests around the same table to champion seniors’ needs. Her career has been a tour de force in health care policy that I expect to continue far into the future,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Ph.D., President, American Action Forum

“From her time in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Schwartz has been a passionate advocate for bringing high-value health care to more US Medicare beneficiaries.  This passion extended to her leadership of Better Medicare Alliance, where she powerfully elevated the visibility of the needs of some of our country’s most vulnerable populations. We value our role as a BMA Ally organization and are confident that BMA will continue to build on Congresswoman Schwartz’s success and thrive in 2021 and beyond,” said Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA, President and CEO, SCAN Health Plan. 

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