Jean C. Sullivan joined the University of Massachusetts Medical School's public service and consulting division, Commonwealth Medicine, in the fall of 2002. She founded and now directs the Center for Health Law and Economics, serves as an Associate Vice Chancellor for Commonwealth Medicine and has a faculty appointment in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Ms. Sullivan has been a recognized leader in Massachusetts health reform efforts for over 25 years. An attorney by training, Ms. Sullivan is an expert in Medicaid and Social Security laws, including all aspects of Medicaid program policies and federal financial participation (FFP) rules; disability benefits and programs under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Social Security Act; and financing structures for the uninsured and free care. She has served in many executive and senior advisory capacities in the Massachusetts Executive Office Health and Human Services. From 2003 to 2005 she was a key advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and served as a policy expert to the administration's workgroups leading to the landmark Health Care Reform Act of 2006. For 12 years, she served as General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for the Massachusetts Medicaid agency.
Ms. Sullivan is credited for her leadership and innovative design of the legal architecture of broad-based health coverage expansion programs. She designed and directed the restructuring of the uncompensated care reimbursement system for Massachusetts hospitals and community health centers, allowing the State to earn over 150 million annually in new federal funds to support the health care safety net. She also directed all legal aspects of the original MassHealth Waiver design and related federal negotiations from 1995 through 2002. During her long career in public service, Ms. Sullivan has received the Manuel Carballo Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Service, Massachusetts' highest level performance recognition award, four times: in 1988, for her leadership in establishing the CommonHealth program; in 1991, for her work in uncompensated care financing; in 1997, as co-director of a statewide regulatory reform effort; and in 2004, for her contributions to expanding health care access to residents of Massachusetts.
Ms. Sullivan earned her Bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in Experimental Psychology, from Mount Holyoke College and her law degree from Boston University School of Law.
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