Former Florida Medicaid Director Joins Health Management Associates

June 1, 2021 by Kristin Allen

Health Management Associates (HMA) announced today that Beth Kidder, former Florida deputy secretary for Medicaid, is joining the national healthcare consulting firm as a managing principal in its Tallahassee office on August 16.

She led the Medicaid program for Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration from October of 2016 to May 27 of this year, and was responsible for managing a budget of $30 billion and 550 employees in service to 4.7 million Florida residents.

During her tenure, Kidder secured millions of dollars in extra benefits for Medicaid enrollees at no cost to taxpayers, streamlined administration for providers, and orchestrated the successful re-procurement of Medicaid health plans. Under her leadership, Florida Medicaid achieved the highest quality of healthcare services in program history.

As a managing principal at HMA, Kidder will use her healthcare policy expertise, and extensive experience implementing programs, facilitating partnerships, and leading quality assurance and process improvement efforts, to help clients navigate the ever-changing healthcare landscape.

“It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with thoughtful, talented, and committed professionals as we improved and strengthened the Medicaid program,” Kidder said. “In this new chapter, I hope to use all I have learned to assist HMA clients in better serving patients with Medicaid coverage in Florida and across the country.”

Kidder’s previous work experience includes several roles at Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, including assistant deputy secretary for Medicaid Policy and Quality, and chief for the Bureau of Medicaid Services. She started her career in Medicaid as a human services planner in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Kidder was elected president of the National Association of Medicaid Directors and served in this role from April 2020 through March 2021. She was previously awarded a fellowship with the Medicaid Leadership Institute, a year-long executive development program that also brought resources to Florida to further develop Medicaid leaders. She has served on a number of boards, including the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation.

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. HMA has more than 20 offices and 225 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast.

For more information about HMA, visit https://www.healthmanagement.com/.