Lisa Shapiro (Former Staff) Vice President, Health Policy

Lisa Shapiro has more than 15 years of experience working in the public, non-profit and private sectors on federal health policy issues with a primary focus on children, the uninsured and underserved populations. Since 2007, Lisa’s work at First Focus Campaign for Children has centered on efforts to improve health coverage for low-income children through public programs, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. Lisa also works on public health issues affecting children, including child nutrition, obesity, environmental health, and asthma. Lisa also focuses on Affordable Care Act implementation issues related to children. From grassroots advocacy and strategic policy engagement to providing technical assistance for public and non-profit stakeholders, Lisa is a well-regarded expert on policy and strategy regarding child health coverage systems.

Prior to joining First Focus Campaign for Children, on Capitol Hill, Lisa was a congressional fellow in the office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) where she assisted in the development of legislation on a broad range of health issues, including proposals to: improve Medicaid and CHIP outreach and enrollment systems, increase funding for programs to counter the childhood obesity epidemic; ensure prescription drug coverage for children eligible for Medicare Part D; maintain Medicaid coverage for foster care children and infants born to immigrant mothers eligible for emergency Medicaid; increase the availability of federal Medicaid funds for states during economic recession; and protect essential funding streams for safety net providers.

In the private sector, Lisa formulated policy for non-profit clients and advocated on issues to preserve and extend the health care safety net and improve access to health care services for underserved populations. She also provided strategic policy advice to national voluntary health organizations on public health concerns, including health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

Lisa also worked for the Society for Women’s Health Research on a broad range of legislative and regulatory issues related to women’s health, maternal and child health and biomedical research.

Lisa has an M.P.A. from the Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy. She received her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Lisa lives in Arlington, VA with her husband Hal and two sons.

Resources by Lisa Shapiro

Revised Senate Health Bill Would Still Harm Millions of Children

| July 13, 2017 | Press Release

WASHINGTON—The Republicans released a revised health care bill today to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new proposal maintains some of the ACA …

#CHIPworks Toolkit: Tell Congress to Extend CHIP Funding

| May 2, 2017 | Resources

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has enjoyed strong, bipartisan support for decades, and ensures that children have access to health benefits like well-child …

CHIP is Critical for the Future of Children’s Health

| April 10, 2014 | Fact Sheet

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has played a critical role in reducing the numbers of uninsured children in America. But unless Congress acts, CHIP funding will drop by 70 percent in 2015.

This paper and discusses how CHIP fits into today’s health care system, focusing on why CHIP continues to be an essential source of coverage for kids. It also underscores the consequences for children’s health of the coming CHIP funding crisis and why protecting the future of children’s health means continued funding for CHIP.

Start Healthy Act Endorsement

| November 21, 2013 | Letters and Correspondence

Congresswoman Diana DeGette has introduced legislation that would make Medicaid coverage available for babies born uninsured. Babies would remain covered under Medicaid until they have employer-sponsored or other insurance. This letter offers an endorsement of the Start Healthy Act.

Ryan’s Budget Risks the Health and Future of Our Nation’s Children

| August 20, 2012 | Blog

As the news was announced that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney had selected Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate my heart sank. Not …

Ryan Plan Would End Children’s Health Coverage as We Know It

| August 20, 2012 | Fact Sheet

Earlier this spring, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an FY 2013 Budget Resolution that included devastating cuts to essential health coverage programs for children. Most notably, the plan eviscerates Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through dramatic cuts totaling $1.4 trillion. This fact sheet details key provisions of children’s health coverage the House budget would cut.

Fix the Family Glitch: To the President and Congressional Leaders

| March 8, 2012 | Letters and Correspondence

The U.S. Treasury Department has drafted a rule providing guidance on making determinations on whether an offer of employer coverage is deemed affordable for an employee. According to the proposed rule, the test to determine whether an employer-sponsored health plan is affordable for an entire family is based on the costs of coverage for the individual employee only. It does not take into account what coverage for the family costs.

The State Flexibility Act Harms Children, Disrupts Coverage, and Ends CHIP as We Know It

| June 1, 2011 | Fact Sheet

The State Flexibility Act (S. 1683/H.R. 868), introduced in May by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Representative Phil Gingrey (R-GA), would repeal a provision of the health reform law that requires states to maintain current eligibility and enrollment requirements for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Without this so-called “Maintenance of Effort” (MOE) provision, an estimated 14 million children currently covered by either Medicaid or CHIP could be dropped from coverage.

May 31, 2011: To Members of Congress Opposing the State Flexibility Act

| May 31, 2011 | Letters and Correspondence

This letter by the First Focus Campaign for Children addressed to Members of Congress voices strong opposition to H.R. 1683/S. 868, the “State Flexibility Act.”

This legislation would take a massive step in the wrong direction for children’s health care, as the bill puts at risk the health coverage of an estimated 14 million children with Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage and would fundamentally reverse the enormous progress our nation has made over the last 14 years in reducing the number of uninsured children in our nation.