Association for Community Affiliated Plans Recognizes Amida Care President and CEO Doug Wirth with ACAP Advantage Award
July 3 2018
Wirth recognized for advocacy to improve health outcomes of lower-income and vulnerable populations
New York, NY (July 3, 2018) – Doug Wirth, President and CEO of Amida Care, New York’s largest not-for-profit Medicaid Special Needs Health Plan (SNP), has been named by the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) as the recipient of the 2018 “ACAP Advantage Award.” The award was presented to Wirth at the ACAP CEO Summit on Friday, June 29, in Washington, D.C. Amida Care is a member of ACAP, a national organization that represents 62 member Safety Net Health Plans serving nearly 21 million Americans. Wirth was recognized for his advocacy on behalf of Medicaid recipients.
“In the more than 10 years I have known Doug, he has been a tireless advocate for people who are underserved and at high risk for poor health care outcomes in his position as the face and voice of Amida Care,” said John Lovelace, ACAP Board Chair. “He has been active in local, state, and national politics to support the growth of innovative Medicaid plans and was instrumental in defending Medicaid in the recent round of debate around ‘Repeal and Replace’ in Congress and the Trump Administration. The battle is far from over, but we can take one victory lap thanks to Doug’s leadership and forceful voice. We will be counting on him to continue advocating for the health care needs of vulnerable Americans.”
“It is an honor to be recognized by my peers at ACAP, whose advocacy and work has improved the lives of millions of low-income and vulnerable individuals,” said Doug Wirth, President and CEO of Amida Care. “I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our team at Amida Care who work so hard on behalf of our members here in New York. Amida Care was proud to support ACAP’s “Medicaid is US” campaign to urge Congress to reject legislation that cuts Medicaid, which serves as the backbone of health coverage for more than 74 million Americans. Through advocacy and innovation, we’ll continue to fight for the health of our nation, so that every American has access to a quality, affordable health care that is right for them.”
Wirth and Amida Care actively work to promote the importance of Medicaid, since any cuts to Medicaid will hurt those most in need. One in two Americans will need Medicaid at some point during their lifetimes. Medicaid is not welfare. It helps keep workers healthy and lowers costs for small businesses; 60 percent of Medicaid recipients are working. Medicaid is essential to combatting the HIV and the opioid epidemics. Without access to Medicaid, many people have no choice but to visit the emergency room more frequently, are hospitalized more often, require costly nursing homes, rack up higher medical bills, and get pushed into poverty. Those higher costs are ultimately passed on to the government, insurers, and taxpayers. Medicaid is US.