Leading with Lived Experience: Lessons from Medicaid Leaders

For some Medicaid leaders, Medicaid and CHIP are not only programs they oversee — they are systems they have experienced firsthand. This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how leaders in Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Oregon draw on their personal experiences to make services easier to navigate, and keep people at the center of policy and program decisions.

The conversation features perspectives from:

• Nicole Harris, executive director, Pennsylvania Children’s Health Insurance Program
• Martijn van Beek, quality director, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
• Rachel Calloway, chief of staff, Oregon Health Authority

The episode is hosted by Mark Larson, senior vice president, Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), and former Vermont Medicaid director, and Kate McEvoy, executive director, National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), and former Connecticut Medicaid director. The Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast, an initiative of CHCS’ National Medicaid Leadership Center, explores priority topics for Medicaid leaders. It is jointly developed by NAMD and CHCS. The 2026 season is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.