USofCare Adds Renowned Health Care Leader Dr. Rebekah Gee to Founder’s Council

Washington, DC – United States of Care (USofCare) announces the addition of Dr. Rebekah Gee to its Founder’s Council, an advisory group of close to 100 health care influencers, including physicians, nurses, health care advocates, former elected officials, and other industry opinion leaders. The council guides and informs USofCare’s work to ensure every American has access to Affordable Health Care, and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has provided technical assistance and policy advice to federal lawmakers and state agencies.  

Dr. Gee, an Ob-Gyn by training, is the current CEO of LSU Health Care Services and recently served as the Secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Health from 2016-2020. As secretary, she was responsible for the oversight of the Medicaid program, the Office of Public Health, Behavioral Health, and other direct services programs. Dr. Gee also introduced several innovations to improve health outcomes for Louisiana residents, including:  

• Expanding Medicaid, resulting in over 480,000 Louisiana residents receiving primary and preventative care for the first time.
• Creating a dashboard to measure access to health care services, which became a national model.
• Spearheading the effort to eliminate Hepatitis C in Louisiana by negotiating with manufacturers on a subscription model for affordable drug access.
• Led national discussions on maternal mortality and established one of the first state-run prenatal quality collaboratives focusing on maternal mortality, resulting in a 32% reduction in complications due to heavy bleeding over a two-year span. 

“I am thankful and honored to join USofCare’s Founder’s Council,” said Gee. “Working to identify solutions to health care challenges is the cornerstone of my life’s work, and I look forward to working with this forward-thinking organization to address our country’s current health care challenges and the challenges that await us once we’ve emerged from the COVID-19 crisis.” 

Prior to serving as secretary of the Department of Health, Dr. Gee served as the Chief Medical Officer for Medicaid. While in that role, she led the charge to reduce infant mortality and premature birthrates across Louisiana by working on the Birth Outcomes Initiative. She is a trained policy expert and has served in many state and national policy roles.

“Dr. Gee is a visionary health care leader and will be a great addition to our Founder’s Council,” said Emily Barson, United States of Care’s Executive Director. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve worked closely with our Founder’s Council to provide technical assistance, on-the-ground insights, and policy perspectives to federal and state lawmakers to help create a pandemic response that helps all Americans, regardless of circumstance. Dr. Gee’s background and point of view allow us to expand our outlook, and our ability to serve all Americans as we work to get through the current crisis and beyond.”