Anna Benyo, MPP is a senior program officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS).  In this role, she primarily focuses on the intersection of Medicaid and state initiatives aimed at dealing with the nation’s maternal health crisis. Anna has led several projects on the growing role of Medicaid coverage of doula care, sharing strategic lessons among states through research, technical assistance, and collaboration. She currently leads an initiative focused on expanding state opportunities to address behavioral and mental health and substance use care for postpartum individuals in Medicaid. Anna also works to advance the priorities of community health workers and promotores (CHW/Ps) by authoring resources and providing strategic thinking on how managed care plans can support the increased use of CHW/Ps as part of a vital workforce in New Jersey, California, and nationwide.

Prior to joining CHCS, Anna served as a senior policy analyst at the National Women’s Law Center. In this capacity, she worked on federal and state implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). She also designed and led a multi-state learning collaborative, State of Women, that provided technical assistance to advance gender and health equity and served as a consultant on a multi-state regulatory oversight project designed to ensure compliance with insurance reforms enacted under the ACA.

In previous roles, Anna held positions at a large network of community health centers headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and a New York City Department of Health and Human Services grant-funded project at the Harm Reduction Coalition to implement evidenced-based HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose prevention interventions at community-based organizations.

Anna holds a master’s degree in health policy and social justice from New York University. She received a bachelor’s degree in English and legal studies from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

Anna enjoys visiting with her sister and three brothers, watching her 11 nieces and nephews grow, and snuggling her two young children. And, if there is a quiet moment, she enjoys reading a good book.