Liz Misa

Prior to joining OA, Liz served as the Deputy Medicaid Director at the New York State Department of Health for over 7 years and assisted in the day-to-day operations in the Office of Health Insurance Programs (“OHIP”) which operates a 60+billion Medicaid program and oversees a staff of over 1,000 employees. In that capacity, she worked on Medicaid redesign and a variety of health care transformation initiatives in the areas of Medicaid policy, transportation, housing and the social determinants of health.

Liz has experience with the state budget process, both internally and externally. At the Department of Health, she assisted in the development, analysis and negotiation of the Medicaid budget. She also worked for the New York State Assembly Ways & Means Committee for 5 years and specialized in the areas of Medicaid, public health and aging.

Liz worked previously at a law firm, representing health care clients, including health plans, medical schools and community-based organizations. She also worked for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East as a research policy analyst and provided research support, developed policy positions and participated in campaigns for the largest healthcare union in the nation.

She was named in City and State’s 40 under 40 Rising Stars. She has served as the co-chair of the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Affordable Housing Workgroup and the Evidence Based Benefit Review Advisory Committee (EBBRAC). As an advocate for the homeless, she co-authored the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) article titled Housing as Health Care: New York’s Boundary-Crossing Experiment.

She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the State University of New York, University at Albany.

Learn more about her work here.