TOPEKA – The Kansas Health Institute today announced that Scott Brunner will join the nonprofit organization as a senior analyst to direct its work on Medicaid, insurance coverage and access to health care.
Brunner, 41, held several leadership positions during nearly 14 years as a Kansas government employee. Most recently he helped oversee the transition of the Kansas Health Policy Authority from a freestanding agency to a division within the Department of Health and Environment. Prior to the merger, Brunner served as KHPA’s chief financial officer. He directed the state’s Medicaid program from 2004 to 2006, before and after primary responsibility for its management was transferred to KHPA from the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
Brunner will start at KHI on Oct. 17.
“Scott’s reputation as a capable and dedicated leader in state government and his wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of its most important health programs make him ideally suited for the work that we do,” said Robert F. St. Peter, M.D., KHI president and CEO. “At KHI, he will continue to be a resource for state policymakers as they grapple with important issues related to the reform of Medicaid and the health care system.”
Brunner, a former senior analyst in the Division of the Budget, also will work with Duane Goossen, KHI vice president for fiscal and health policy, to track changes in state budget and tax policy and how those changes could impact programs that affect the health of Kansans.
“I am eager for the opportunity to continue serving the state of Kansas at KHI,” Brunner said. “As the economy struggles to recover, policymakers will be forced to make tough decisions. We want to help provide policymakers with the data and analysis they need to make those choices.”
KHI is an independent, nonprofit health policy and research organization based in Topeka. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI conducts research and policy analysis on issues that affect the health of Kansans. KHI also operates the KHI News Service, an editorially independent program committed to timely, objective and in-depth coverage of health issues and the policymaking environment.