State Plan & Health Policy Specialist

State Plan & Health Policy Specialist

Division of Public Policy & Strategic Planning (DPPSP)

150 N. 18th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007

Posting Details:
Must reside in Arizona. Salary: $75,000 – $80,000 Grade: 24 FLSA Status:
Exempt Closing Date:
Open Until Filled This position may offer the ability to work remotely, within Arizona, based upon the agency's business needs and continual meeting of expected performance measures.

Job Summary:

The Division of Public Policy & Strategic Planning (DPPSP) is looking for a highly motivated individual to join our team as a State Plan & Health Policy Specialist. This position serves a key role in AHCCCS' Federal Relations team, and is responsible for managing the AHCCCS State Plans, negotiating the terms and conditions of these governing documents with federal officials, leading health policy research and sophisticated policy analysis, giving public presentations, and working closely with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) staff and other officials and stakeholders.

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• State Plan:
  Serves as the agency subject matter expert on the structure and content of the State Plan.
• Manage and update the Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) State Plans as needed, including leading the negotiation of terms and conditions with CMS and ensuring AHCCCS meets federal public notice and other requirements. Drives the efficiency of amendment negotiations, ensuring federal partners have timely access to needed information.
• Health Policy:
  Support the agency's federal policy research and planning processes by planning, conducting, overseeing, and tracking research and analysis on health care policy that advance the agency's strategic priorities including federal and state legislation. Interprets, drafts and cascades issue papers and implementation protocol containing in-depth analysis and recommendations to ensure compliance. Develops ad-hoc and standardized reports, producing charts and graphs, configuring data and statistical reporting tools to provide comparative data and dashboard reports.
  
  Monitors the evolution of other states' Medicaid programs as well as policy developments/trends at the national level and informs executive management strategic decision making. Prepares reports on the financial and programmatic impact of legislative proposals and proposed policy or policy changes on Medicaid/Medicare for DCAIR. Develops short and long-range plans related to the agency's policy research/analysis strategy and provides a framework for agency discussion of complex policy issues.
  
  Analyze performance, program management reports, review studies, research Medicaid, Medicare, and various other health policy documents. Advances the agency's federal policy research and planning processes.
• Develops data/fact driven presentations and present on Health Policy and federal regulatory developments to internal and external stakeholders. Combines regulatory changes with agency impact to provide a full picture to agency and state executive leaders on the impacts and implications of the changes and recommend actions.
• Federal Compliance:
  Review CMS proposed and final rules and uses independent judgment to determine which policies require work with internal subject matter experts to draft and submit agency-wide comments. Prepares and submits a variety of federally required documents and reports. Collaborates with CMS staff responsible for oversight of the AHCCCS Program. Coordinates the efforts of agency staff to prepare mandatory federal reports and deliverables.
  
  Timely submissions of federal reporting and deliverables. Ensuring AHCCCS meets federal public notice and other requirements.
• 1115 Demonstration Waiver:
  Assist with functions of the 1115 Demonstration Waiver including amendment proposal drafting, evaluations, research, and negotiations.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs):
Knowledge of:

• Medicaid and CHIP programs and systems as well as general health policy principles and concepts.
• Federal and State laws and regulations related to Medicaid and other Federal and State health programs 1115 Waivers and the State Plan
• Legislative and Administrative processes related to Federal and State health programs
• Principles related to health policy research. Operational dependencies within AHCCCS and between AHCCCS and other agencies

Skills in:

• Excellent research and analytical skills. Strong political acumen and sense of discretion
• Critical writing and planning skills
• Leading cross-divisional teams to accomplish a unified goal
• Stakeholder engagement and public speaking.
• Project management and advanced problem-solving skills and resolution

Ability to:

• Adapt to a rapidly changing environment and priorities
• Conceptualize new health policy proposals and develop recommendations
• Propose solutions to complex policy issues
• Advanced interpersonal abilities including excellent relationship development, management, teamwork and oral and written communication…