Barbara Coulter Edwards

Barbara Coulter Edwards, Director of the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group in the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services at CMS, has considerable experience in public and private sector health care financing. She is a nationally recognized expert in Medicaid policy, including managed care, cost containment, long-term care, and State and federal health care reform. She was a Principal with Health Management Associates, Inc. for 4 years focusing on Medicaid, national health reform, and service delivery for persons with chronic and disabling conditions. She also spent six months as the Interim Director of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors and served eight years as the Ohio State Medicaid Director. As Ohio's Medicaid Director, she led significant program reforms, including implementation of Ohio's comprehensive strategy to promote access to home and community-based long-term services and supports, development of a Preferred Drug List for outpatient prescription drugs, expansion of managed care to serve Medicaid consumers, and implementation of Ohio's State Children's Health Insurance Program. Ms. Edwards presents frequently on Medicaid trends and State health policy challenges.