Career Op. - Health Policy Internship

The Center for Medicare Advocacy, in its Washington, DC office, hosts interns interested in health policy. The Center hosts two interns per summer and several during the academic school year. Summer internships come with a small stipend; those during the school year are for academic credit only. All positions offer tremendous first-hand experience in health law. All applicants should have completed at least one year of law school or an equivalent graduate program. For more complete descriptions of the internships, click summer internship or academic year internship.

Below is a more detailed look at the position as presented by some of our former interns.

As I was entering my third year of law school, I wanted to gain more experience with the practice of health law in Washington, D.C. My internship with the Center for Medicare Advocacy added a new dimension to my understanding of health law. The opportunities to work on innovative projects, attend health care briefings, and most importantly, to interact with people so knowledgeable of Medicare issues, were invaluable.

During my second year of law school, I had participated in a health law clinic, serving underrepresented clients seeking access to health insurance. The experience left me wanting to do more to ensure such access on a greater scale. Going from this client-oriented environment to the Center was a natural transition. I was able to work on issues such as alerts to Medicare beneficiaries of changes in their coverage and appeal rights for those in hospice care. The work was a great policy complement to my clinic experience and has left me with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the work of a health attorney.

Furthermore, one of the most exciting aspects of the internship was the ability to attend briefings on many different parts of health care law. During these meetings, I learned more about issues such as patient managed care, community partnerships, and health provision in rural areas. Additionally, being able to attend health reform briefings on the Hill and speaking with the Center staff about the ongoing reform debate has been enlightening. I am grateful for the time I was able to spend at the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the experience I have gained.

Katerina Horska

Health Policy Intern

Fall 2009

My understanding of the health care system drastically changed while participating in the daily work of the Center for Medicare Advocacy. I began interning at the Center with minimal background knowledge of Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the intricate web of players in the health care system. I interned at an interesting time, where a myriad of efforts were made towards health care reform because of the new administration.

The Center comprises an executive director, several consultants, attorneys and other advocates and several information coordinators all working together to support those needing legal representation, incorporating their years of background experiences in the federal government, legal services, and advocacy into health policy proposals and offering a voice to the often voiceless. The work the Center does is imperative for health care reform. New approaches within the CMA allow dialogue to open on a much broader level. Recently, CMA created the Medicare Advocates Alliance ,which incorporates advocacy groups from 20 different states. It is because of the work of advocacy groups like this that there is a constant dialogue about healthcare.

I spent my time attending briefings, hearings and reading new policy research. I was fortunate enough to begin a research project for CMA that ultimately provided me with valuable insight into the healthcare system, law and health policy. I was able to outline the project and do the research through their support. I gained more critical thinking and analyzing skills than I did in any course I've taken in my undergraduate career. I was exposed to a completely new realm of policy and encouraged every step of the way.

Throughout my time at CMA, I learned a lot about policy, health care disparities, and the steps taken to overcome problems in healthcare. It was most invigorating and most humbling to be a part of their organization for such a short time. I will always be inspired by CMA’s dedication in maintaining fair access to health care as I continue advancing my professional career.

Diana Ibrahim

Health Policy Intern

Summer 2009

Interning with the Center for Medicare Advocacy in its Washington, DC office has been an enriching and informative learning experience. The Center provides education, advocacy, and legal assistance for elderly and disabled individuals seeking to obtain Medicare or other health care benefits. Having no extensive background in the substantive area of Medicare, I was afforded an opportunity to gain a significant amount of knowledge in just a ten-week period.

My summer internship experience consisted of conducting legal research, writing memoranda on complex issues of law, and attending Capitol Hill hearings and briefings. For instance, on June 26, I attended a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations examining predatory marketing in Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans provide private insurance options for Medicare beneficiaries. However, during this hearing several witnesses attested to the deceptive sales practices of insurance agents who were preying upon elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries by selling unsuitable plans. Already having an interest in Elder Law, this hearing furthered my enthusiasm for advocating on behalf of those who have no voice, more specifically elderly persons.

Lastly, I must say that the attorneys working in the Washington office created one of the friendliest working environments I have ever experienced. Not only are these individuals highly knowledgeable of the health care system, they also make themselves available to the interns for any questions or comments that might be posed. Moreover, I have never seen a group more passionate about advocating on behalf of the rights of others. I found my internship experience to be challenging yet rewarding. If given the opportunity, I would gladly work for the Center for Medicare Advocacy again.

Candace Hill

Health Policy Intern

Summer 2007

My interest in health care law propelled me to intern with the Center for Medicare Advocacy. My summer working for the Center was a time of great excitement and challenge. As a legal intern, I spent my time researching and analyzing the various new proposals, regulations, and laws that encompass the vast and detailed worlds of Medicare law and health care advocacy. In addition to performing traditional legal work, I was able to witness first hand policy promotion in Congress. The internship allowed me to interact with numerous governmental and non-governmental groups while learning various approaches and perspectives to this area of health care law.

One of the exciting issues I was able to be a part of this summer was the debate over Medicare Advantage programs and privatization. This internship provided me the opportunity to analyze the various issues from legal, policy, and even fiscally-driven perspectives. Exposure to an array of standpoints in turn broadened my outlook and allowed me to perceive greater and more detailed intricacies within our health care system.

Working with the Washington, DC staff was a pleasure. Their knowledge of the Medicare system was inspiring and, at times, intimidating. However, I never felt as though I was left to drown in open waters. The Center’s attorneys were always patient and eager to pass along knowledge to help better understand an often complex legal topic. Overall, I believe my summer internship with the Center provided me with a unique, invaluable, and truly enjoyable learning experience in the nation’s capital.

Paul V. Turaew

Health Policy Intern

Summer 2007

I came to the Center for Medicare Advocacy already knowing that I wanted to pursue a career in health policy. I had previous experience in other non-profit health law and policy settings in Boston and thought I knew about how the health care system worked. I was strikingly wrong. Nowhere else can you come away with such a comprehensive understanding of such a complex system in so short a period of time.

I must confess that my personal interest in health policy is in providing universal coverage. However, I learned this summer that many people intended that overtime Medicare and Medicaid for children would provide the groundwork for national coverage. While never actualized, this is still important. For health care for all Americans to work, health care for elderly Americans must work first. Even if you are not interested in the specifics of Medicare it is a system you must understand to do any work in government provided health care.

Medicare was at an interesting crossroads during the summer I spent at the CMA. While various groups spent time reflecting on the 40 years of service to the elder and disabled population, the efforts of numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations was focused on the final implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act and the Part D drug benefit.

The experience I received was robust to say the least. I was able to draft memos for class action lawsuits against CMS, write and edit informational material for state level advocates, attend meetings with heads of organizations like the AMA and Kaiser, and sit in on lobbying sessions with congressional health advisors.

In the end one of the best parts of my internship had nothing to do with Medicare, health policy, or any politics for that matter. The Center for Medicare Advocacy is one of the most pleasant and friendly work environments I’ve ever encountered. The most memorable part of the whole experience may not be all the exciting work I was able to do for the incredible people that work at the Center, but getting to talk with them everyday over extensive lunches/brainstorming sessions. For that experience alone I would recommend this internship to anyone with even the slightest interest in health policy.

Stuart Sherman
Health Policy Intern
Summer, 2005

I had an amazing experience interning at the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Working at the Center is a gateway into the major cutting edge health care issues confronting the nation. The Center advocates on behalf of beneficiaries through litigation, lobbying, and education, and also provides key policy analysis. They provide a voice for those whose interests may otherwise go unnoticed. Not only are the attorneys passionate and dedicated to promoting the interests of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, but they are also experts in the field. While I had previous exposure to health care policy in a variety of settings, my experience at the Center was truly unprecedented.

I was fortunate enough to work at the Center during the beginnings of the revolutionary implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D). The benefit is quite complex and has serious implications for all beneficiaries, especially dual eligibles who, in January 2006, will no longer be receiving drugs via Medicaid but rather will be auto enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan. The Center was vital towards identifying the red flags that the transition process is likely to raise. I participated with attorneys in submitting comments on CMS’ proposed use of the Internet to enroll beneficiaries into the new Part D plans. I also got the opportunity to attend CMS open door forums, sit in on lobbying sessions with congressional health policy staff to encourage low income subsidy enrollment, and attend hearings and briefings on the Hill.

My other substantive work included writing legal memorandum and assisting attorneys with ongoing class actions suits. Further, I attended various seminars on important health policy issues, such as drug importation, reducing prescription drug prices, and tort reform. These seminars provided a wonderful insight into the perspectives of the diverse players in the health policy field.

Finally, I must say that despite the breadth of knowledge and expertise of each attorney at the Center, everyone is genuinely humble and more than willing to answer questions, no matter how trivial. The environment is pleasant, relaxed, and most importantly conducive to a free and open exchange of ideas. Working at the Center was a privilege.

Jessica Sperling
Health Policy Intern
Summer 2005

As a medical student intern at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, I studied health policy issues as they pertained to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. My responsibilities included investigating the use of prescription drugs under Medicare Part D, analyzing the potential impact of Special Needs Programs for the dual eligible and institutionalized populations, and attending Senate committee hearings and health care conferences. I learned about the importance of Medicare advocacy and its role in refining and generating health law, and its centrality in ensuring fair and adequate access to quality health care. I also learned how advocacy groups and lobbying firms worked together to educate legislators and legislative assistants about key health care issues.

Some of my specific projects included investigating therapeutic equivalence and generic substitution, researching off-label use of medications and CMS’ stance on off-label prescribing under Medicare Part D, researching enfuviritide (Fuzeon) and its use in the HIV-positive population, and investigated CMS’ decision to require prior authorization of enfuviritide prior to dispensation to Part D beneficiaries.

With guidance and insight from the Center’s lawyers, I studied Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries’ unique health needs, and developed recommendations on specific medical issues that the Center was investigating.

Marisa Cevasco
American Medical Student Association Health Policy Fellow
Summer 2005

During my six week tenure at the Center for Medicare Advocacy I had three key obligations: to create a research report which will be used as a reference guide for the Center after my departure, to attend Senate hearings and other group meetings for the Center, and to learn about advocacy, government, and the Medicare program.

The majority of my time at the Center was spent developing my project on Coordinated Care, which is defined as care that “avoids service duplications, enhances efficient care, and precludes gaps in care. Coordinated Care means all information pertaining to the patient is integrated and easily retrievable.” Currently Medicare does not offer any form of Coordinated Care to its beneficiaries, but it is considering adding the benefit. Their reasoning is that a Coordinated Care Benefit will cause chronically ill beneficiaries to remain healthier, and out of hospitals. The purpose of my report was to compare recommendations from two private reports with those of CMS’ demonstration projects. The project was also meant to gauge the success of CMS Coordinated Care demonstration projects in the areas of finance and quality of care, and conclude whether the recommendations made in the private reports were more or less viable than the systems tested by CMS.

The Staff was very helpful in guiding me through my research. Prior to this summer “Coordinated Care” was a foreign term to me. Somebody was always available to answer a question, explain a term, or edit a paper. In addition to this project, I also attended meetings for the Center. This included crucial Senate committee meetings for the Special Committee on Aging and the Health. I suggest any future intern to seize every opportunity to attend meetings and be as “hands on” as possible. It was very interesting visiting the committee meetings, seeing how they function and even getting to see my own Senator in action.

As I leave my internship I have no criticisms. I feel that this summer I have done my share to help advocate for the very best care.

Jamie Levitt
Undergraduate Machon Kaplan Intern
Summer 2005

The Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. has opportunities for internships for law students or health policy students in its Washington, D.C. office. Interns can expect to engage in a full range of activities including conducting research and writing memoranda, attending hearings and briefings on Capitol Hill, participating with staff in coalition meetings and assisting with research for publications. Attorneys supervise the students with whom they are working; students can receive from staff the support necessary to participate in work-study opportunities from their schools.

The office, staffed by lawyers, engages in legislative and administrative advocacy and litigation at the federal level, on Medicare, Medicaid, nursing home quality and enforcement and related issues concerning access to high quality health care. Project staff most often work in collaboration with other organizations with similar interests.

Students are expected to commit to a 40-hour work week, for between eight to ten weeks. A small stipend is available, but students are encouraged to arrange additional funding through law school public interest grant funds or other resources.

The Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that provides education, advocacy and legal assistance to help older people and people with disabilities obtain necessary health care. The Center focuses on legal concerns of Medicare beneficiaries, people with chronic conditions and those in need of long-term care. The organization is involved in education, training and litigation activities of importance to Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.

The Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. has opportunities internships for law students or health policy students in its Washington, D.C. office. Interns can expect to engage in a full range of activities including conducting research and writing memoranda, attending hearings and briefings on Capitol Hill, participating with staff in coalition meetings and assisting with research for publications. Attorneys supervise the students with whom they are working.

Internships are available for academic credit during the school year. Hours are arranged between the Center, the student and the school.