Medicaid Isn’t Broken, It’s Misunderstood: Why Policy, Perception, and Presence Matter More Than Ever

Guest Spotlight:

Christopher Drumm is the founder of Drumm and Daughters LLC and a seasoned healthcare lobbyist and policy strategist with decades of experience spanning public service, politics, and managed care. A Philadelphia native raised in the city’s Mayfair neighborhood, Christopher built his foundation in local ward politics before advancing into government affairs and healthcare advocacy.

A graduate of Saint Joseph’s Prep and La Salle University, Christopher began his political career in the 1980s and became the youngest-ever Leader of Philadelphia’s 63rd Ward in 1987. Over the years, he has held leadership roles with Philadelphia City Council, Saint Joseph’s University, and spent more than 20 years leading government affairs at AmeriHealth Caritas, where he played a key role in expanding managed care programs across multiple states and advocating for Pennsylvania’s Medicaid population.

Having worked at the city, state, and federal levels, Christopher has helped shape Medicaid policy, secure public funding, and navigate the complex intersection of healthcare delivery and public policy. Today, through Drumm and Daughters LLC, he continues advising on healthcare policy, distressed hospitals, access to care, and the future of managed care across the Commonwealth.

Here are the 3 Key Takeaways from our Conversation:

1. Managed care delivers value but no one is telling the story well

Managed Medicaid has largely succeeded in doing what it was designed to do: control costs while improving access and outcomes. But that success isn’t widely understood. The problem isn’t performance, it’s perception.

Health plans often assume results speak for themselves. They don’t. Legislators change. Stakeholders rotate. And without constant education and communication, even proven models can lose support. If you’re not telling your story, someone else will and they may not get it right.

2. Medicaid is being shaped by beliefs, not just budgets

Today’s biggest challenges in Medicaid aren’t purely financial,they’re philosophical.

Policies like work requirements and eligibility restrictions are driven by deeply held beliefs about self-reliance and government support. That makes them harder to debate, and even harder to change.

The result:

• Increased member churn due to frequent eligibility checks

• Financial instability for health plans

• Uncertainty in forecasting and long-term planning

When policy is rooted in ideology, data alone isn’t enough to influence decisions.

3. Relationships win. Always.

Behind every policy decision is a person. And behind every successful expansion, negotiation, or turnaround is a relationship.

Christopher emphasized that lobbying isn’t just strategy it’s presence.

You have to:

• Show up consistently

• Build trust over time

• Understand what matters to each decision-maker

Whether it’s expanding into a new state or advocating for funding, the differentiator isn’t always the best argument, it's the strongest relationship.

In his words, it’s like “playing smothering defense but being charming enough that they don’t notice.”

Listen to the full episode of When Health Freezes Over now!

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