West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ (DHHR) Bureau for Medical Services Commissioner Cindy Beane has been elected by her colleagues as president of the board of directors for the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD).
NAMD represents leaders of all state Medicaid agencies and the nation’s territories. The board of directors guides the association’s work and represents the perspective of Medicaid programs at the federal level.
“At this critical time for the future of Medicaid and the health of millions of Americans, I’m honored to represent my 55 colleagues from across the country and territories,” Beane said. “Each one of us is committed to the health of the people we serve as well as the future health of the Medicaid program.”
Beane has worked at DHHR for more than 20 years and was appointed Commissioner in 2014. She has extensive experience in mental health program policy development and development of home and community-based programs. Under her leadership, West Virginia was the first state in the nation to obtain approval for coverage of neonatal abstinence centers, and her team both developed and is administering a Continuum of Care waiver designed to treat substance use disorders among the Medicaid population. West Virginia has implemented health homes initiatives to improve quality outcomes for Medicaid members with chronic conditions, including diabetes and bipolar disorder, and expanded managed care to include behavioral health. West Virginia Medicaid was the recipient of the 2022 Medicaid Innovation Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Academy for State Health Policy for providing specialized managed care for youth in foster care.
“I know I speak for our Medicaid directors across the country when I say that we all look forward to Cindy’s leadership on the national stage,” said Kate McEvoy, NAMD Executive Director. "The work ahead of our Medicaid programs is enormous and the outcomes are critical to the health of millions of Americans. Cindy is just the leader to meet that moment.”