Wilensky: A ‘True Public Servant’ and ‘Valued Colleague'

Washington, DC – Statement on the passing of Gail Wilensky, co-chair of BPC’s Future of Health Advisory Board :

“Gail was a true public servant, dedicating her entire career to improving health care for all Americans,” said BPC President and CEO Margaret Spellings. “She was a valued colleague working with BPC’s Health Program and will be greatly missed. She shared BPC’s commitment to bipartisanship. Gail consistently worked with both Republicans and Democrats to cultivate actionable solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing health care problems.” 

Widely considered one of the most influential health care policy experts in the U.S., Wilensky made valuable contributions to the Medicare program as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (then HCFA) under President George H.W. Bush. She also was the first chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent government entity that advises Congress on Medicare policy. In recent years, she was an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a major policy contributor as a senior fellow and health economist at Project HOPE.