Related Posts
by Kristin Rowan, Editor
HCAOA Expands Medicaid Advocacy
Medicaid Expert Announced
The HCAOA Annual Meeting was a-buzz with rumors of a new staff member joining the team. The announcement was scheduled during the opening session with Jason Lee, but was postponed. Lee mentioned it almost as an aside in his opening address. He said, “we’ll have a new medicaid and government relations and expert on our staff. So looking forward to an exciting announcement next week.”
News Spread
Attendees noticed Lee’s statement and began speculating about who the new expert on staff would be and why Lee didn’t name them in his opening address.
An inside source told The Rowan Report that the announcement had been delayed at the insistance of the new employee’s then current employer.
By the end of the first day of the annual event, many attendees were speculating about the announcement. Some correctly guessed the identity of the new employee while others were off the mark. Either way, the delay of the announcement created anticipation better than any marketing campaign.
At Long Last
On Oct 6, more than a week after the announcement was initially scheduled, new HCAOA Senior Director of Communications, Marketing, and Education Allison Dolan sent the press release announcing the organization’s expanded Medicaid advocacy focus. The announcement named policy expert Damon Terzaghi as Vice President of Public Policy.
You can read the full HCAOA statement here.
Expertise
The press release reads, “Terzaghi brings more than two decades of experience in Medicaid, long-term services and supports (LTSS), aging, disability and home-based care policy across federal and state government, national associations and the private sector. He most recently served as vice president of Medicaid and home care policy at the National Alliance for Care at Home, and has held roles at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Advancing States, the Marwood Group, the National Association of State Medicaid Directors and the Oregon Department of Human Services.”
In his Own Words
“We are at a crucial inflection point in long-term services and supports in our country, as demand far exceeds capacity and more participants turn to Medicaid programs to finance their care. With the enrollment and spending growth in these programs, beneficiaries and providers are facing more and more difficult questions, ranging across access, workforce, payments, quality, and program integrity. I’m eager to hear directly from HCAOA members and make sure our policy discussions reflect their experiences.”
Medicaid Goals
HCAOA CEO Jason Lee said, “Medicaid is core to how many of our members do business, creating a growing need for expertise and advocacy….”
The new Medicaid advocacy focus will connect federal policy developments with state-level implementations, according to the press release. The association will work on reimbursement, workforce capacity, regulatory requirements and access to care. The plan includes creating Medicaid resources for its members.
# # #
Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.
Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites. Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com
©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com
