Jennifer Kent, MPA
Director, California Department of Health Care Services (fmr)
The Kent Group
Jennifer Kent is CEO of The Kent Group. She has more than fifteen years of extensive health administration and policy experience in California that spans over three gubernatorial administrations and encompasses both private and public delivery systems. As Director, Kent oversaw the second largest public healthcare system in the nation with an annual budget of over $100B and serving approximately 13 million Californians. She oversaw the administration of twenty-four managed care plans as well as 56 county behavioral health plans. Kent has also held leadership roles in the Health & Human Services Agency and Governor’s offices as well as experience in the private sector as a lobbyist, consultant and association executive.
Her notable accomplishments include:
- Served as the Governor’s lead policy and strategic advisor on California’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, including the creation of the state health exchange legislation (Covered California) and other federal health reform measures;
- Led the development and negotiation with the federal government to adopt early provisions of the Affordable Care Act through a Section 1115 Waiver and secure $10 billion in new federal funding;
- Successfully developed and renegotiated the State’s 1115 waiver in 2015 with CMS that authorized California-focused program modifications such as a global payment program, safety-net redesign initiatives as well as obtaining $7 billion in new federal funding and creating a new national model for substance use disorder;
- Implemented several integration initiatives such as Whole Person Care and Whole Child Model to deliver enhanced primary care services using innovative and cost-effective mechanisms; and
- Negotiated three multi-billion-dollar managed care tax proposals over her career with support from industry, elected officials and the federal government.
Education
MPA 2002, University of Southern California
BA 1995, Saint Mary’s College of California
Who We Are
We are problem solvers
We embrace new ideas and develop creative solutions every day to achieve our mission.
We take ownership
We believe in holding ourselves and one another accountable.
We’re always going
We value people who have a strong bias for taking action.
We lead with empathy
We are empathetic to one another. We actively work to understand one another’s point of view.
Who We Are
We are problem solvers
We embrace new ideas and develop creative solutions every day to achieve our mission.
Who We Are
We take ownership
We believe in holding ourselves and one another accountable.
Who We Are
We’re always going
We value people who have a strong bias for taking action.
We lead with empathy
We are empathetic to one another. We actively work to understand one another’s point of view.
Who We Are
We are problem solvers
We embrace new ideas and develop creative solutions every day to achieve our mission.
We take ownership
We believe in holding ourselves and one another accountable.
We’re always going
We value people who have a strong bias for taking action.
We lead with empathy
We are empathetic to one another. We actively work to understand one another’s point of view.
Who We Are
We are problem solvers
We embrace new ideas and develop creative solutions every day to achieve our mission.
We take ownership
We believe in holding ourselves and one another accountable.
We’re always going
We value people who have a strong bias for taking action.
We lead with empathy
We are empathetic to one another. We actively work to understand one another’s point of view.
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