Emily Zalkovsky serves as State Medicaid Director at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). In this role, she provides strategic direction and oversight for the state’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs, impacting millions of Texans across the state.
Emily’s professional background gives her a holistic perspective on the health care field. She has 18 years of experience in health and human services policy and operations serving in a variety of roles allowing her to lead the development and ongoing administration of Medicaid programs for children, pregnant women, older adults, and individuals with disabilities; medical and dental benefit design; managed care quality initiatives; and state plan and waiver management, among other responsibilities.
Outside of state government, Zalkovsky also has worked as a health care consultant and in the nonprofit sector focusing on housing and health policy. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.
Emily’s depth of experience allows her to be innovative in her work to improve Medicaid and CHIP programs for clients, providers, and stakeholders. In addition to significant expertise and experience, Emily brings a focus on improvements and modernization of business operations and processes. She actively works to inspire over 1,000 staff through a deliberate focus on culture and the people the program serves.
Texas Covered is the largest event of its kind in Texas and brings together decision-makers from across the health care spectrum—from major health plans, providers and regulators, to legislators, journalists, academics and more.
