Families USA expands its health policy expertise with the appointment of Arielle Kane as director of Medicaid initiatives, Cheryl Fish-Parcham as director of private coverage - Families USA Skip to Main Content
09.07.2022 / Press Release

Families USA expands its health policy expertise with the appointment of Arielle Kane as director of Medicaid initiatives, Cheryl Fish-Parcham as director of private coverage

Washington, DC– Families USA Executive Director Frederick Isasi announced two new staff appointments today. Arielle Kane has been hired as director of Medicaid initiatives and Cheryl Fish-Parcham was promoted to director of private coverage. Both have extensive health policy experience.

Fish-Parcham, who has worked at Families USA since 1994, is responsible for policy analysis, recommendations and thought leadership around marketplace and employer coverage, affordability, access to care and progress toward universal coverage. She was previously the organization’s director of access initiatives where she focused on policies to improve access to coverage and care, including those related to oral health and behavioral health services. Prior to that, she was its associate director of health policy. Earlier in her career, Fish-Parcham worked as an advocate at AARP’s Legal Counsel for the Elderly and served as an advocate, administrator and social worker for several community organizations. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in social work from Howard University.

Kane provides strategic leadership and support for Families USA’s Medicaid policy and advocacy agenda. She oversees the development of new initiatives on both the state and federal levels and works closely with local and national partners. She joins the organization from the Progressive Policy Institute, where she was director of health care policy. In that role, she conducted research, authored policy reports and convened external policy leaders to help inform health care policy proposals on Medicaid, maternal health, costs, innovation and other issues. Kane also served as senior health policy adviser for Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign, lead health care project specialist at Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and Senior Policy Analyst at Thorn Run Partners. She received a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon.

“Arielle and Cheryl are skilled and thoughtful leaders with proven acumen on a plethora of health policy issues. Most importantly, they are dedicated to helping all families get access to the health and health care they need and deserve,” said Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA. “Their knowledge will be vital as we work to help families overcome obstacles to health and health care equity, justice, access and affordability. We are so proud they are part of the team.”

“I’m honored to be joining Families USA as we work to ensure Medicaid is positioned to better serve the people who rely on it for their health–specifically people of color, rural Americans and low-income communities,” said Kane. “There is a sense of urgency around the program, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to address closing the coverage gap in non-expansion states and improving it through delivery system reform.”

 “As someone who is passionate about consumer advocacy and outreach, I am pleased to mark almost 30 years at Families USA with this new challenge, especially at a time when the country has recognized that long-standing inequities and injustices are impacting our ability to have a health care system that centers families’ needs,” said Fish-Parcham. “I look forward to continuing working with the team to ensure that no one faces barriers to care because of who they are or where they live.”

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