People
Ellen Montz, PhD
Nonresident Senior Scholar, USC Schaeffer Institute
Former Deputy Administrator, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Biography
Formerly, Ellen was a Deputy Administrator at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services under the Biden-Harris Administration. She served as the Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight where she led the doubling of the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces and implementation of the No Surprises Act. Prior to the Biden Administration, she served as the Chief Deputy and Chief Health Economist at Virginia’s Medicaid Department, playing a central role in the state’s expansion of Medicaid, pandemic response, and investment in value-based health care delivery. She also previously served in several roles in the federal government, including at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Senate Finance Committee, and the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she focused on implementing provisions of the Affordable Care Act. A native Texan, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University, a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School at the University of Texas, and a PhD in health policy economics from Harvard University.