Robert Espinoza, vice president of policy for the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, has been appointed to serve on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Advisory Panel on Outreach & Education. 

The APOE makes recommendations to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CMS administrator on ways to optimize education and outreach strategies for Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the health insurance market. Up to 20 members serve on the panel for a two-year term. Espinoza’s appointment began Sept. 8.

“I’m deeply honored to join an esteemed national panel of experts in advising HHS and CMS on their outreach and education,” Espinoza said. “Many low-income, underserved people around the country rely on important programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and the health insurance marketplaces, and I look forward to strengthening their knowledge and access to these supports.”

Espinoza leads PHI’s policy advocacy, research and analysis at the state and national level to strengthen the direct-care workforce and prepare the nation to care for a growing population of elders and people with disabilities. He also serves on the Institute of Medicine’s Aging, Disability and Independence Forum, as well as advisory boards for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Aging Today, the national newspaper for the American Society on Aging.