Laura Spicer
Policy Analyst

Laura Spicer is a policy analyst within the health services policy and research unit at The Hilltop Institute. In this position, she is part of a team of researchers responsible for program evaluation, data analysis, and policy support for Medicaid and other publicly funded programs for the states of Maryland and New Mexico. Many of her projects involve analyzing Medicaid claims data on an extensive number of issues related to quality assurance, service utilization, enrollment trends, and costs. She assists states in developing policies and meeting federal reporting requirements. She also provides analytic and policy support to the state of Maryland for implementing health reform. In addition to these state-based projects, she has also worked on several grants supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other grants and contracts as needed.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Spicer was a research assistant at Hilltop. In this capacity, she provided research support for various projects, including a study of Maryland's school-based health centers and ongoing research activities for Maryland's HealthChoice program. She also assisted with special projects, such as providing staff support for the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission and in conducting focus groups with various stakeholders.

Ms. Spicer graduated cum laude from UMBC with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in applied sociology at UMBC and expects to graduate in May 2012.