Martha H. Somerville
Senior Policy Analyst

Martha Somerville, a senior policy analyst, is also the director of Hilltop’s Hospital Community Benefit Program, the central resource created specifically for state and local policymakers who seek to ensure that tax-exempt hospital community benefit activities are responsive to pressing community health needs. She has authored or contributed to state administrative regulations, program evaluation, state agency reports to legislative committees, and policy briefs. Ms. Somerville has led or participated in various aspects of Hilltop projects, including tax return-based outreach to Medicaid/CHIP-eligible but uninsured children, “Express Lane” eligibility, Medicaid cost sharing, nonprofit hospital governance, regulatory oversight of private health insurance premiums, competitive procurement of Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and qualification review of MCO applicant health plans. Areas of interest include Affordable Care Act regulatory and implementation issues, community health, primary and specialty care access, and primary care workforce development. Ms. Somerville has provided program support for Maryland's HealthChoice, Primary Adult Care, and Employed Individuals with Disabilities programs since their inceptions, and has staffed state commissions and task forces. She has directed the state's MCO qualifications review process, drafted comprehensive regulation packages for new state health programs and initiatives, and developed successful strategies for addressing MCO qualification and subcontracting issues.

Before joining The Hilltop Institute, Ms. Somerville worked as a consultant for nonprofit advocacy groups. As an Assistant Attorney General, she advised state professional licensing boards in matters relating to licensure qualifications and professional discipline. As a private attorney, Ms. Somerville represented institutional health care providers in regulatory matters, corporate and medical staff governance, and accreditation.

Ms. Somerville was awarded a J.D. with honors by the University of Maryland, an M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a B.A. cum laude from Duke University. Ms. Somerville is a member of the Maryland Bar and the Maryland Chapter of the Order of the Coif.