Sean Cavanaugh (CMS) Sean Cavanaugh is the Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He is responsible for overseeing the regulation and payment of Medicare fee-for service providers, privately-administered Medicare health plans, and the Medicare prescription drug program. Medicare provides health coverage to 50 million elderly and disabled Americans, with an annual budget of over $550 billion.
Prior to assuming his current role, Sean was the Deputy Director for Programs and Policy in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the development and testing of new payment and service delivery models, including accountable care organizations and medical homes.
Previously, Mr. Cavanaugh was director of health care finance at the United Hospital Fund in New York City. He has also served in senior positions at Lutheran Healthcare (Brooklyn, NY), the New York City Mayor’s Office of Health Insurance Access, and the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission. He started his career on Capitol Hill working for a member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.