L. Sue Andersen
Sue Andersen, a former associate law professor, created the Health Law Clinic at George Washington University Law School and was Director of the Health Insurance Counseling Project, the state health insurance counseling project (SHIP) in the District of Columbia. Sue also served as the director of the national SHIP Resource Center at Johnson, Bassin and Shaw, Inc.
As an attorney, Sue has extensive experience with both Medicare and Medicaid and is a recognized expert in payment policy and beneficiary eligibility for these programs. Sue has provided consulting services to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and collaborated with a number of prominent Washington corporations in other CMS projects. Sue provides exceptional expertise in training and education to financial planners, social service organizations and others who need to understand health benefits for in their work with individuals who are approaching retirement, disabled or have long term care needs. She has served as a consultant in nursing home bankruptcy litigation and has provided program development services for non-profits in the District of Columbia seeking certification as providers for Medicaid home and community-based waiver services.
William F. Benson
Bill Benson has worked in aging and health for 36 years. He established The Benson Consulting Group in 1998. In 2002 he joined with Sue Andersen to form Health Benefits ABCs (HBABCs), an independent consulting practice specializing in aging and health policy & services, program development, assessment and strategic planning, and training. Their clients include a number of national, state and private organizations, including n4a, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, the American Health Quality Foundation, National Adult Protective Services Association, American Society on Aging, the Population Association of America. American Planning Council, Institute for Health & Aging at the University of California, San Francisco, the Maryland Department of Aging, the New York State Office for the Aging, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, WISER and others.
From 1993 to 1998 Mr. Benson was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging at the Administration on Aging (AoA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was the acting Assistant Secretary for Aging in 1997. Mr. Benson spent eight years in various capacities in the U.S. Congress including staff director of the Subcommittee on Aging of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, staff director of the Subcommittee on Housing and Consumer Interests of the House Select Committee on Aging, and with the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Mr. Benson played a major role in the 1987 and 1992 amendments to the Older Americans Act including the creation of Title VII, the OBRA ‘87 nursing home reform legislation, numerous Medicare and Medicaid provisions, women’s health, pension and other notable legislative initiatives.
Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Mr. Benson was with the California Department of Aging including serving for more than five years as the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Mr. Benson spent three years with an AoA-funded demonstration project to train paralegals and other advocates for the elderly, founded a community-based Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and directed a senior citizens center.
He is a past president of the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, president of the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement & the American Association for International Aging, and chairs the advisory board to the Center on Global Aging at Catholic University of America’s School of Social Work. He is in his 10th season as host of First Person, a weekly series of interviews with Holocaust survivors before live audiences at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Bill was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 awarded by the National Committee to Preserve Medicare and Social Security (NCPSSM). Each year, NCPSSM honors an individual for their unparalleled commitment to older Americans. In making the award, NCPSSM President Barbara B. Kennelly said, "Bill Benson's expertise on issues ranging from long term care to elder abuse has shaped many important policy initiatives which improved the lives of millions of seniors and their families. Bill's work from the local to the federal level has impacted virtually every major aging organization in our nation. He clearly loves his work and America 's seniors have benefited from his dedication and commitment."
OUR STAFF
Nancy Aldrich
Nancy Aldrich has more than 30 years of experience as a writer preparing analyses of the Older Americans Act, Medicare, Social Security and other essential programs for older adults and persons with disabilities. She performs project management and document production for the Andersen-Benson Consulting Group, LLC, d/b/a Health Benefits ABCs. Nancy has worked on projects dealing with family caregivers, disaster preparedness for special populations, and public health issues for older adults; and supported HBABCs’ analysis of the Maryland Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, training and evaluation of the Senior Medicare Patrol program, and other projects.
Working with The Benson Consulting Group, Nancy contributed to an analysis of the Senior Medicare Patrol program based on participant survey data; analyzed State Health Insurance Assistance Program websites for the quality of long-term care insurance information provided; and prepared Aging in Place: The Role of Home and Community-Based Care, a background paper for an invitational conference on community long-term care options.
Nancy was editor of Older Americans Report (published by Business Publishers, Inc.) for 18 years, focusing on Older Americans Act reauthorization and implementation, Medicare programs and reform, and aging policy. She prepared in-depth analyses of health care, housing, transportation services, and other topics. She also edited Report on Disabilities Programs for one year.
OUR ASSOCIATES
Ann Rasenberger
Ann Rasenberger, JD, President of Care Management Strategies LLC, has over 25 years of experience in Medicaid and aging services as a consultant, an Assistant Attorney General representing the Maryland Medicaid program, a provider of senior care services, and a long-term care trade association executive.
As a consultant, Ann provided technical assistance to the District of Columbia’s (“District”) Medicaid agency on the District’s long-term care programs, including home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers, Money Follows the Person, participant-directed services, personal care services, and nursing homes. She conducted national surveys of selected states’ HCBS waivers for the elderly and physically disabled and state-based nursing home quality improvement initiatives. She worked with Health Benefits ABCs on an evaluation and redesign of Maryland’s long-term care ombudsman program, an analysis of the adult protective services provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and an ERISA matter.
Ann has assisted long-term care providers with developing new HCBS services and provided guidance to a Medicare Advantage/special needs plan on Medicaid requirements. From 2001-2005, Ann was the director of Catholic Charities’ SeniorLife Services Division in Baltimore, managing residential and health care programs for low-income seniors, including a nursing home, an assisted living facility, a medical adult day program, senior centers, subsidized senior housing, and family caregiver support and information and referral programs. She is a member of the Maryland Medicaid Advisory Committee, and previously served as a commissioner of the Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education and as a member of several advisory groups convened by the Maryland Department of Aging. Ann received an A.B. in Government, cum laude, from Smith College and a law degree from Georgetown University.
Beth Grove
Beth Grove served as the statewide coordinator for the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement of Arlington, Va. She oversaw the expansion of the program from 10 Senior Environment Corps sites to 25 sites and 2,000 volunteers. In this capacity, she performed community liaison, publicity, and volunteer management, and developed volunteer management training manuals and sustainability plans.
Beth also served as executive director of the Yorktown Senior Center in York, Pa., where she was responsible for contract obligations, volunteer management, health and human services for older adults, program development, grant management, and media relations.
Bob Tiller
Robert Tiller retired in 2008 from his full-time position as Deputy Director for Public Policy and Advocacy with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), where he was involved in policy analysis, lobbying of Congress and building the organization’s grassroots advocacy capacity. His 29 years in government relations and public policy advocacy included stints with American Baptist Churches USA, Bread for the World and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
In retirement Bob is a consultant for various non-profits. He serves on the Commission on Aging for Montgomery County, Maryland, and also on the board of directors of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America.
Dave Baldridge
Dave Baldridge, a champion of American Indian and Alaska Native elders for two decades, is executive director of the American Association for International Aging; director of the National Indian Project Center, Albuquerque, NM. He is a former consultant to the Native Diabetes Wellness Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The National Indian Project Center conducts national and international projects related to American Indian health. It specializes in the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) computer mapping technology for the analysis and portrayal of disparities in healthcare.
Dave has worked with HBABCs on numerous projects, including conducting interviews with American Indian/Native Alaskans, and writing about caregiving, end-of-life care, diabetes, and other issues impacting AI/ANs.
Previously, Dave was executive director of the National Indian Council on Aging. He is a former member of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases national advisory committee.
Jerry Kasunic
Gerald “Jerry” Kasunic is a consultant who has recently retired as the DC Long-Term Care Ombudsman of Legal Counsel for the Elderly’s (LCE) Office of the DC Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (Ombudsman Program), and a liaison for the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs representing the association on Capitol Hill.
As the Senior Manager to LCE’s Director, Jerry’s day-to-day duties included oversight of the Ombudsman Program and Senior Medicare Patrol Project’s advocacy and legal operations, financial performance and various public outreach activities. For over 18 years, Jerry managed complex health services and advocacy programs serving and protecting DC residents involving public benefit fraud, health care neglect and abuse, identity theft, illegal discharge practices potentially causing homelessness, Medicare and Medicaid appeals, contract and arbitration hearings, and all phases of complaint investigation to systemic policy and legislation advocacy.
Jerry has also served as a member of the Olmstead Planning Committee and Money Follows the Persons Initiative Program, an honorary member of the Medical Care Advisory Committee, a member of the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, a member and liaison of National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs, a member of the DC Office on Aging’s Adult Abuse Prevention Committee, and a mentor for new State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Directors.
Jim Kautz
James Kautz is a Consultant in Program Development and Performance Measurement. Jim served as a Consultant in Strategic Planning for Florida State Ombudsman Program (with Health Benefits ABCs) from 2006 to 2007. He also served as State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Louisiana Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs (1986-1990).
Jim worked extensively with HBABCs on the Maryland Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) and Florida LTCOP projects, providing analysis of regulations, data, financial information, surveying program personnel; presenting the data analysis to program personnel and leading a strategic planning process, conducting interviews, consulting with and participating in work groups; contributing to the development of the recommendations, strategic plan and the final report.
Jim has extensive government experience in numerous capacities such as: Olmstead Plan Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Human Resources; Leader of the Quality Assurance Team for the Georgia Division of Aging Services; Assistant Director of the Bureau of Research and Development in the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources; and Chief of Planning and Program Evaluation in the Louisiana Department of Corrections. He wrote a “Menu for Excellence”—a list of input, output and outcome measures used by State Ombudsman programs—for the National Ombudsman Resource Center. In his work with the Georgia Division of Aging Services, he led teams that wrote a business plan for the Aging Information System. This work included participation in the Administration on Aging’s Performance Outcome Measures Project (POMP) as well as performance measures for all programs in the Division. He also wrote a commissioned paper used in the Institute of Medicine’s 1995 study of the national LTC Ombudsman program.
Jolie Crowder
Jolie Crowder, RN, MSN, previously served as vice president of special projects for the American Health Quality Foundation, the charitable branch of the American Health Quality Association (AHQA). AHQA is the non-profit association representing Medicare Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). Medicare QIOs are contractors for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) selected to assist health care providers and practitioners in improving the quality of health care for Medicare beneficiaries.
During Jolie’s tenure with AHQF (a 501(c)3 that she was instrumental in establishing) she worked on a number of special projects and grants, focused on health care fraud, disease prevention, diabetes education, and other quality improvement related activities. She also served as the co-director of The National Consumer Protection Technical Resource Center for the Senior Medicare Patrol program, which ferrets out fraud in health care programs. Prior to that, Jolie worked at AHQA as the vice president of operations and education where she managed a budget of $1.5 million and oversaw implementation of three major national health care quality conferences. Part of her early responsibilities at AHQA included serving as a liaison to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and completing a national report that compiled and analyzed health care improvement data from 55 QIOs across the country.
Jolie has vast experience doing survey design and analysis, conference planning, grant applications, grant management and technical writing. She also has extensive experience convening, facilitating and presenting at in person workshops, web seminars and web conferences on a variety of health care subjects.
Karen Coda
Karen Coda has worked as an editor for many years in the Washington, D.C. area. After 10 years employment on Capitol Hill, on the House side, she switched gears and turned to the field of editing. She has served a variety of clients in government, business, and the nonprofit world, including the Government Accountability Office; the National Park Service; K12, a company providing online schooling; Resources for the Future; the Cato Institute; and many others.
Karen has recently expanded her services to include note-taking for organizations like Health Benefits ABCs.
Karen Pardieck
Karen Pardieck has spent 20 years in the area of Government and Community Advocacy Services and Project Management. Currently Karen is working with various clients, including the telecommunciations industry in conjunction with local jurisdictions to faciliate wireless policies and services. Karen has extensive relationships with Northern California local, state and federal elected leaders and policymakers. She has served with two political officials, a Sacramento City Councilman and a Sacramento County Supervisor. Her clients range from educational, social services, health entities and developers. Karen has been appointed to numerous boards and commissions and founded the "Foundation for Educational Excellence" for low-income students.
Karen cared for her elderly mother for several years, prior to her mother's transition to a convalescent home where she now resides at age 93. Karen continues to be an advocate for her mother.
Leta Blank
Leta Blank is program director of the Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program in Montgomery County, Md. In this capacity, Leta recruits, trains and supervises volunteer counselors to assist seniors and their family members to understand Medicare, Medigap, managed care, Medicaid, employee health benefits and long-term care insurance. She has prepared materials for training and disseminiation of information to the community and the media.
Leta is a member of the Medicare Part B Beneficiary Advisory Council, the Consortium of Washington Area SHIP Coordinators, board member of Grass Roots Organization for the Well Being of Seniors (GROWS) and serves on the board of associates of the National Rehabilitation Hopsital.
Leta has been quoted in the Washington Post on long-term care insurance, managed care and Medicare issues. She was featured in the Washington Times "Who's Who in Health Care." She also speaks at conferences and on radio and television programs throughout the area. She received the designation of Long-Term Care Profession from the Health Insurance Association of America.
Mario Garrett is professor of gerontology and chairman of the Department of Gerontology at San Diego State University. He specializes in indigenous health issues and believes in the power of data gathering and surveillance in order to promote health and economic equity.
He was awarded his PhD from the University of Bath and worked at the London School of Economics, Surrey, Bath and Bristol University. He then joined the United Nations with the International Institute on Ageing, working in the Peoples’ Republic of China, Africa, and across Europe, moving to the USA where he joined the University of New Mexico, and then the University of North Texas. Getting out of academia, he ran his own private business for ten years analyzing health data for American Indian tribes.
Sara Hunt
Sara Hunt, a geriatric social worker consultant, is the Senior Consultant to the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) housed at the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform. Her numerous duties include designing training curricula and writing individual modules and planning the annual national state ombudsmen training conference. Sara also has served as director of Social Services for the Louisiana Geriatric Assessment Center, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman for the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs, and Regional Long-Term care Ombudsman Coordinator for Citizens for Quality Nursing care (New Orleans).
Sara worked with Health Benefits ABCs to conduct extensive assessments of Utah’s LTCOP and the Utah Child Protection Ombudsman for the Utah Department of Human Services based upon extensive structured interviews with and surveys of key stakeholders and key informants. Data and findings were analyzed and interim and final reports submitted to senior officials at Utah’s Department of Human Services and its Division of Aging and Division of Children and Family Services. Utah continues to implement recommendations from our report.
She also worked extensively with HBABCs on the Maryland LTCOP and Florida LTCOP projects, providing analysis of regulations, policies, and training materials; conducting interviews; consulting with and participating in workgroups; contributing to the development of the recommendations, strategic plan, and the final report. Sara is a skilled facilitator and trainer.
Wayne Nelson
Wayne Nelson is a research associate with the Towson University Center for Productive Aging, where he teaches courses on health care management and publishes extensively. His research interests are in the areas of LTCOPs, organizational correlates to nursing home quality care, conflict and violence in healthcare settings, and institutional elder abuse.
Wayne served as Deputy Director for the Oregon State Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman from 1985 to 1998, and as acting ombudsman for two of those years. He was involved in all areas of agency operation. Wayne was directly responsible for agency's nationally recognized employee and volunteer training programs; developed administrative rules governing all areas of the agency's operation; represented the agency before the legislature on various aging and operational (budget) issues; led, cooperated and participated in state and national conferences, inquiries, studies and other forums designed to improve quality services in long-term care.
He served as liaison to local, state and federal government agencies, long-term care associations and other groups concerned both institutional and community based care. The Oregon Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman has been identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (1991) as one of the nation's five model programs.