Former Top Medicaid Official Cindy Mann Joins Manatt in Washington, D.C.

Highly Regarded CMS Deputy Administrator Joins Manatt's Nationally Recognized Healthcare Law and Consulting Team

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Apr 01, 2015, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, announced today that former top Medicaid official Cindy Mann will join the Washington, D.C., office as a partner in the firm's Healthcare practice on April 13. Mann previously served as deputy administrator of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services and director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services within CMS.

"Few people have been as integral to Medicaid and its expansion as Cindy has," said William Bernstein, chair of Manatt's Healthcare division. "She is a highly respected national authority on healthcare reform, known for the progressive policies she set and the deep relationships she built with states. Her strategic vision, diplomatic approach and effective advocacy have directly helped millions of Americans obtain health coverage and have contributed significantly to enabling payment and delivery system reform across the United States. Cindy's agency insights; deep, substantive knowledge; and significant connections will be of immediate value to our clients. We are honored to welcome her to the team."

A key leader in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Mann has effectuated the biggest improvements to the Medicaid program since its inception. During her almost six years at CMS, Mann oversaw the rollout of the Medicaid provisions of the ACA and the modernization of the Medicaid program. Her leadership enabled the expansion of Medicaid to 28 states, including innovative waivers in Arkansas, Michigan and Iowa; fundamental changes in Medicaid eligibility and enrollment policies and systems; improvements in the availability and delivery of long term services and supports; new initiatives in partnership with states to support payment and delivery system reform. She set policy, supported state program operations, coordinated policy and coverage with the Marketplace, and managed over $500 billion in annual federal and state expenditures. During her time at CMS, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment increased 16 percent, and Medicaid policy and programs became viewed as some of the major levers of healthcare reform.

Prior to her appointment, Mann was a research professor at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, where she founded and served as executive director of the Institute's Center for Children and Families. She has also worked as a senior advisor at the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, and has directed the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' federal and state health policy work.

"Manatt is the gold standard for healthcare stakeholders navigating the complexities of reform, and the firm has continuously impressed me with its in-depth understanding and sophisticated work relating to health insurance and delivery system reform initiatives," said Mann. "The Manatt team includes lawyers and consultants who are recognized as top advisors across multiple sectors within the healthcare space, and the work being performed every day involves cutting-edge strategy, policy, regulatory and transactional issues that are essential to defining how the U.S. health system will evolve in the next decade. I look forward to working with this extraordinarily strong group and its diverse set of clients."

Mann is the latest in a series of new partners joining Manatt across the country in 2015, including Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigator Christine Reilly and energy and infrastructure partner Charles Schwenck in Los Angeles; capital markets and financial services partner Brian Korn and real estate partner Andrew Schultz in New York; and government investigations and consumer protection partner Katherine Winfree in Washington, D.C.

Manatt's Healthcare practice has been nationally recognized for excellence by Chambers USA, which honored the firm with its 2014 Award for Excellence in the healthcare category and recently named the firm a finalist for the 2015 award. The Chambers USA awards honor outstanding law firms and lawyers across the United States, reflecting preeminence in key practice areas and notable achievements including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service. The group also achieved a Tier 1 ranking, the highest designation bestowed, from U.S. News & World Report in its 2015 ranking of the country's "Best Law Firms."

Mann earned a B.S. from Cornell University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is one of the nation's leading law and consulting firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base — including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies — across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.