A deputy director of Medicaid policy in North Carolina is coming to Oregon to direct the state’s Medicaid program. On July 24, Emma Sandoe will become the director of Oregon’s Medicaid program, which provides 1.4 million low-income people with medical, dental and mental health care, Oregon Health Authority officials said in a release.
The Medicaid program has a two-year budget of $28 billion, or approximately $14 billion a year, to provide care to more than one in four Oregonians. Emma Sandoe, Oregon Medicaid director (Oregon Health Authority) Sandoe has worked in the North Carolina Medicaid program since 2019. In that role, she has served as the state’s liaison to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and overseen work in developing and implementing policies to improve health equity in North Carolina’s health care system.
Sandoe also has worked as the Medicaid liaison to tribal nations in North Carolina. Oregon officials said Sandoe worked on North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion, which started in December and will provide health care benefits to more than 450,000 people. Her arrival comes at a critical time for Oregon’s Medicaid system.
The state’s new five-year Medicaid plan received federal approval – and an additional $1.1 billion in federal funding – to provide housing, food and climate support by distributing air conditioners to improve overall well being. In a statement, OHA Director Dr.
Sejal Hathi said Sandoe’s record of expertise .
