Barbara Lyons, PhD, Principal

Barbara Lyons is a leading expert on Medicaid, Medicare, and health policy issues affecting low-income populations.  With 20+ years of experience working for nonprofit organizations, Barbara has devoted her career to improving how public programs work for people.  She specializes in identifying emerging health policy issues, designing, conducting  and collaborating on real-time people-oriented policy research and disseminating findings to the policy community through publications, convenings, presentations, testimony and briefings.  

Barbara has specialized in addressing health, economic and social issues affecting low-income populations throughout her career.  Before founding Cascada Consulting, Barbara was a senior vice president at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.  Barbara directed the work of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and previously served on the policy staff of the Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly People Living Alone. Barbara has a PhD in Health Policy and Finance from the Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Jane W. Andrews, MA, MHS, Independent Consultant

Jane Andrews’s career spans over two decades of experience in Medicare Advantage health policy, program management, payment structures, and regulatory affairs roles at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Jane’s most recent tenure was at the CMS Innovation Center, where she made pivotal contributions to the development and refinement of Accountable Care Organization and Medicare Advantage Models. Jane has also held key positions at two private health plans, where her responsibilities included legislative and compliance oversight specific to Medicare. Jane’s earlier career had a focus on long-term care research and analyses. She served as a state official within the Maryland Department of Health and as Assistant Director of the Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly People Living Alone. Throughout her career, Jane has been dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Medicare beneficiaries as well as their caregivers. Jane holds a Master of Health Science from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in health finance and management.