Washington state agency that oversees Medicaid will get a new director

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has found a new leader for the Health Care Authority, which administers Medicaid for nearly 2 million people and is the largest purchaser of health care in the state.

Ferguson announced Wednesday that he had selected Maryland Deputy Health Secretary Ryan Moran, who oversees Medicaid and health care financing in that state. Moran’s first day is Aug. 18 and he will earn an annual salary of $251,208.

“I look forward to advancing the work and mission of the agency in such a critical time for health care nationally and am committed to ensuring those we serve receive access to integrated, person-centered care,” Moran said in a statement.

Ferguson said in a statement that Moran’s passion and experience make him a great choice. 

“His expertise will help us provide equitable, high-quality health care to the people of Washington,” Ferguson added.

Moran joined the Maryland Department of Health in April 2023 and is deputy secretary for Health Care Financing and Medicaid director. He will continue in those positions until August, Maryland Matters reported.

In February, he stepped in as acting secretary when the former health secretary left amid several controversies. Moran held the post until April, when Meena Seshamani took over as secretary.

Moran previously served as chief executive officer for Whitman-Walker Health System in the District of Columbia and as an assistant vice president for MedStar Health, which has 10 hospitals in Maryland and Washington, D.C., according to Ferguson’s office.

He holds a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins University and is a board member of the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

Moran will arrive as Washington, like Maryland and other states, is preparing for the likelihood that the Trump Administration and Republican-controlled Congress will reduce federal funding for Medicaid. 

Washington officials have said as many as 194,000 residents could lose Medicaid coverage under legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that is pending in the Senate. Ferguson has said Washington would lose about $2 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next four years under the bill.

About two dozen Washington state Republican lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, urged the 12-member congressional delegation to avoid cuts that would imperil the state’s Medicaid program, known as Apple Health.

And Moran will begin work as the Health Care Authority ponders a response to the unauthorized sharing of protected health information for the state’s Apple Health enrollees with the Department of Homeland Security. That data could potentially be used to track down immigrants without legal status.

As of this spring, nearly 2 million Washington residents were enrolled in Apple Health, including over 850,000 children.

“This is an unethical use of protected health information,” authority officials said in a June 13 statement. “We would never support the use of data submitted for health care purposes being repurposed by federal agencies seeking to unjustly target specific groups of individuals.”

Moran will replace MaryAnne Lindeblad, a veteran authority leader who has served as interim director since director Sue Birch retired when Ferguson took office.