Ellen Bayer: Project Director Long-Term Care Services and Supports

Ellen Bayer joined NASHP in 2015 as a Project Director on the Long-Term Services and Supports team.  Currently she leads the qualitative research team in three states (Colorado, Ohio, and Texas) to evaluate the impact of the Financial Alignment Initiative (FAI) demonstration for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees.  As part of the evaluation, she arranges and conducts site visits; drafts interview protocols; and conducts in-person, semi-structured interviews with state officials, health plan representatives, and other stakeholders.  Based on site visit findings, she co-authors reports for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and conducts briefings for CMS staff.  Her responsibilities for the evaluation also include drafting reports based on focus groups with Medicare-Medicaid enrollees and conducting quarterly phone meetings with state officials to obtain updates on FAI activities.
Prior to joining NASHP, Ellen worked as an independent health care consultant providing project management, qualitative research, writing and editing services.  Her previous work also includes work as executive director of special projects for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP); program analyst in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; policy analyst for the Project HOPE Center for Health Affairs; and legislative assistant for Rep. John LaFalce (D-NY).   Ellen has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Maryland and a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University.