Christopher C. Jennings

Chris Jennings is an over three decades-long health policy veteran of the White House, the Congress and the private sector. In January, he departed from his second tour of duty in the White House where he served President Obama as Senior Advisor to the President for Health Policy and Coordinator of Health Reform. He served in a similar capacity in the Clinton White House for nearly eight years.

From his positions in the executive branch, Mr. Jennings has helped implement the Affordable Care Act’s access and delivery reform provisions (for President Obama) as well as played leadership roles in the development, passage and implementation of bipartisan health reforms, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of 1997 and major Medicare reforms in the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 (for President Clinton).

In his decade of service in the U.S. Senate, he served as the Deputy Director of the Special Committee on Aging for three Senators (including his home state Senator, John Glenn) and led major reform efforts in the areas of long-term care, prescription drug coverage/cost containment, and rural health care. In this capacity, he also served in a major role for the U.S. Bipartisan Commission on Health Care (also known as the “Pepper Commission”).

Outside of government service, Mr. Jennings has been a senior health policy advisor to six Presidential campaigns, including to one of his former bosses, Hillary Clinton. He is currently President of Jennings Policy Strategies (JPS), a nationally respected health care consulting firm committed to assisting foundations, purchasers, health systems and other aligned stakeholders develop policies to ensure higher quality, more affordable and sustainable health care. He has consistently worked to develop non-partisan administrative, legislative, and private sector policies to ensure better stewardship of and a greater return on investment on the nation’s $3 trillion investment in health care.

Recognizing his pragmatic nature and experience, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) sought Chris to serve as a senior advisor on a number of health reform projects, including reports and recommendations on access, delivery reforms, cost containment, and long-term care. In addition to his consulting work and his collaborations with think tanks and purchasers, Mr. Jennings is a frequent contributor on health reform issues to the New England Journal of Medicine.