Dr. Ryan Schwarz Named Medicaid Director, Assistant Secretary for MassHealth

BOSTON — Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Kiame Mahaniah announced that he is appointing Dr. Ryan Schwarz as Massachusetts’ Medicaid director and assistant secretary for MassHealth, effective June 8.

Schwarz has served as chief of the Office of Accountable Care and Behavioral Health at MassHealth, Massachusetts’ combined Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program agency, since April 2024, and has been part of the MassHealth leadership team since 2019. He is also a practicing internal medicine and pediatrics physician at a community health center in Chelsea.

In April, current Medicaid Director and Undersecretary for MassHealth Mike Levine announced that he will be stepping down from his role at MassHealth, relocating to the West Coast to be closer to family. He has led MassHealth since 2023.

“Dr. Schwarz has a tremendous record as both a community health center physician and a healthcare policy expert. His demonstrated leadership as a valued member of the MassHealth executive team and his commitment to delivering accessible, high-quality healthcare for the people of Massachusetts make him a terrific candidate for helping Massachusetts navigate these challenging times for our Medicaid program,” Mahaniah said. “It has been a pleasure working with Undersecretary Levine, who has laid such a strong foundation for our work to ensure access to high-quality healthcare across our state.”

In his most recent role at MassHealth, Schwarz has led the agency’s efforts to transition from a siloed, fee-for-service healthcare model to accountable care, which delivers whole-person, outcome-focused healthcare for members. He also oversaw MassHealth’s primary care, behavioral health, nutrition, and tenancy support services, and strategic initiatives including MassHealth’s innovative 1115 Demonstration waiver.

Schwarz previously served as clinical lead for the Massachusetts COVID-19 Response Command Center, where he helped lead the state’s efforts to combat the pandemic. He is also a participating member of the administration’s Primary Care Access, Delivery, and Payment Task Force and the Health Care Affordability Working Group. Prior to his time in Massachusetts state government, he worked on healthcare delivery policy, including as a technical adviser to the World Bank, and with multiple healthcare organizations globally. He completed his MD and MBA degrees at Yale, and his clinical training at Harvard Medical School.

“I’m grateful to Governor [Maura] Healey, Lieutenant Governor [Kim] Driscoll, and Secretary Mahaniah for the opportunity to continue serving MassHealth members as Medicaid director, and to Undersecretary Levine for his leadership over the past few years,” Schwarz said. “This is certainly a challenging moment for Medicaid here in Massachusetts and across the country, but Massachusetts has always been a leader in healthcare, and I look forward to working with our exceptional partners to come together, problem solve, and work to make the right services and supports available to residents who need them throughout the Commonwealth.”