Carrie Fitzgerald (Former Staff) Vice President

Carrie Fitzgerald is Vice President of Children’s Health Programs at First Focus. Before coming to First Focus in, 2011, Carrie worked for almost five years at the Child and Family Policy Center (CFPC) in Des Moines, Iowa as the Senior Health Policy Associate. At CFPC Carrie addressed state and federal issues related to health care coverage for children and families including the reauthorization of CHIP and its implementation at the state level. Prior to joining CFPC Carrie worked for the Iowa Department of Public Health where she coordinated the children’s healthy mental development project (ABCDII) sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund. Carrie also served as the Health Department’s liaison to the state Part C/Early Intervention team, focusing on children’s health and development and access to services.

At First Focus Carrie’s emphasis centers on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the ACA). Her work looks at how health issues affect immigration policy, federal rules and regulations, and state and federal funding all in terms of children. In 2012 Carrie was named a consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and served a two-year term.

During the years before working for state government and on public policy, Carrie worked for a variety of direct service non-profit organizations. These jobs included advocating for abused and neglected children through the court and foster care systems, educating low-income families about how to access and maintain public supports and benefits, strengthening the parenting skills of teen mothers, and advocating for battered women and rape survivors in the legal system.

Carrie has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English from Drake University and is the mother of two children.

Resources by Carrie Fitzgerald


Julie Beckett’s Legacy Lives On

| June 10, 2022 |

The loss of Julie Beckett, who passed away on May 13th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was felt across the country. Individuals, families, current and


Response to Request for Information on Medicaid & CHIP

| April 18, 2022 |

First Focus on Children submitted the following responses to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ request for information on access to coverage and


Comments on Georgia’s Section 1332 Waiver

| January 7, 2022 |

First Focus on Children submitted the following comment to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid


What’s at stake for kids if Congress doesn’t pass Build Back Better

| December 22, 2021 |

As negotiations have stalled and the fate of the Build Back Better Act hangs in the balance, children stand to lose access to monthly


Watch: Experts discuss how to achieve vaccine equity for kids

| November 18, 2021 |

First Focus on Children co-hosted a virtual Congressional briefing today to discuss how to achieve equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine for children and


Fact Sheet: Medicaid — Cost-Effective Coverage that Works for Kids

| November 9, 2021 |

Medicaid is a public health insurance program, operated as a partnership between the federal government and the states, that provides health insurance coverage to


Key Stats on the Effect of COVID-19 on Kids

| November 19, 2020 |

The COVID-19 pandemic is doing more than exposing the racial, ethnic, and economic disparities existing in our society; it is compounding them, and so


Confusing arguments, clear benefits: The Affordable Care Act is good for kids

| November 12, 2020 |

The United States Supreme Court heard yet another case this week that could bring down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as


Kids continue to lose health care coverage, report finds, with Latino children hit hardest

| October 14, 2020 |

A report released last week by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families shows the continuation of the downward trend in health care


Congress Must Act Quickly to Pass Additional Relief for Struggling Children and Families

| August 10, 2020 |

Given recent spikes in COVID-19 caseloads, an economic crisis that continues to deepen, and an upcoming school year faced with daunting challenges, it is