04.04.2024 / Press Release

Families USA Names Anthony Wright as New Executive Director

Washington, D.C. —Families USA, one of the nation’s leading health care advocacy organizations, today announced the appointment of longtime consumer health advocate and champion Anthony Wright as the organization’s new executive director, effective July 2024. Wright has served as the executive director of Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, for more than two decades. Wright succeeds Frederick Isasi, who stepped down as Families USA executive director in December 2023.

Following a comprehensive nationwide search, the Families USA Board of Directors selected Wright based on his impressive leadership skills and groundbreaking legacy of impactful health reforms, coverage expansions, patient protections, social safety-net and public health investments, and cost containment efforts. Wright led California’s grassroots and policy advocacy efforts to pass, defend, implement and improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA), leading to the biggest drop of the uninsured rate of all 50 states. With his organizing background and on-the-ground experience, Wright will be able to continue his leadership on Families USA’s key goals, promoting health care value while containing costs, advancing health equity and reducing barriers and disparities, ensuring comprehensive and affordable coverage for all, empowering the patient and public voice and elevating their experience in health policy discussions, and improving the health and financial security of all Americans.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Anthony Wright as our new executive director. Anthony brings a rare combination of impactful leadership and immense strategic, operational and advocacy experience to the helm of Families USA,” said Sister Simone Campbell, Chair of the Board of Directors of Families USA.

“I have long respected and admired Families USA’s work as the central consumer advocacy voice in Congress, the Capitol community, the Administration and its agencies, and as our leader in national fights for health reforms. I am honored to take on this next chapter and challenge in my career of health consumer advocacy to continue to win patient protections and public health investments,” said Wright. “Having attended my first Families USA conference in 1997 and having spoken at most of them since, it’s surreal and humbling that a quarter of a century later, I am now chosen to lead and now build on the organization’s impressive legacy of effective advocacy and holding the health industry more accountable for cost, quality, and equity. As once an inner-city mixed-race uninsured kid from the Bronx, I am excited to use the privilege of this position to elevate and empower the voice of health consumers and advance equity for all Americans, and to use my unique experience to both protect our progress and promote the next phase of health reform.”

During his 22-year tenure as executive director of Health Access California, Wright helped lead countless first, biggest and best-in-nation efforts to expand coverage to millions, protect patients from industry abuses, contain health costs and advance health equity and value for all Californians. Just in 2023, Health Access victories included reducing cost sharing and zeroing out of deductibles for over 650,000 in Covered California, the elimination of surprise medical bills for ambulances, the creation of an Office of Health Care Affordability with the nation’s most promising effort to contain health care costs, new and higher standards for quality and equity in health plans, innovative state strategies to lower prescription drug prices, and the full expansion of Medi-Cal to all income-eligible Californians regardless of immigration status.

Wright has repeatedly been named to the Capitol Weekly Top 100 most influential figures in California politics. Prior to his role at Health Access California, Wright worked for New Jersey Citizen Action, the Center for Media Education, The Nation magazine, and Vice President Gore’s office. He was born and raised in the Bronx and graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College.

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Families USA, a leading national voice for health care consumers, is dedicated to the achievement of high quality, affordable health care and improved health for all.