Lesley Cummings

Lesley Cummings is the Executive Director of the California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB).  She has over three decades of experience in California state government, having held various positions within the executive and legislative branches.  Ms. Cummings serves on  NASHP's Health Care Access & Financing Steering Committee, CMS's CHIP technical assistance group (TAG), the National Health Policy Forum's Federalism Technical Advisory Group (TAG),  on the Board of the Insuring the Uninsured Project, the Advisory Board of the School of Policy, Planning, and Development for the University of Southern California.  MRMIB runs California's CHIP program and high risk pool for medically uninsurable persons.  Ms. Cummings participated in the development of California's effort to enact universal coverage in 2008 and was involved with a number of prior substantive efforts to expand coverage.  She helped draft California’s small group health insurance reform, including the development and implementation of a state-operated purchasing pool for small employers, legislation reforming managed care, and the design and implementation of the Healthy Families Program. Ms. Cummings has a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University and a BA in Social Ecology from the University of California at Irvine.