Celebrating 35 years of making Medicare more accessible, affordable, and equitable!
Joe Baker is currently the President Emeritus of the Medicare Rights Center and served as its President from June 2009 to May 2019. He served as a member of The National Quality Forum’s Measures Application Partnership Coordinating Committee after previously serving on the Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Workgroup. Mr. Baker also had two terms as a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Board on Health Care Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education. He is an Adjunct Professor at the New York University School of Law, where he taught a class on implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Previously, he was the Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services in New York State under Governor David A. Paterson, where he was instrumental in developing Medicaid reforms and a proposal to extend health coverage to younger New Yorkers. Mr. Baker served as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services under Governor Eliot Spitzer, after having directed the Health Care Bureau under Spitzer when he was attorney general of New York. Mr. Baker was Executive Vice President of Medicare Rights from 1994 to 2001, and prior to that was Associate Director of Legal Services for Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Mr. Baker graduated from the University of Virginia’s School of Law.
Previously, he was the Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services in New York State under Governor David A. Paterson, where he was instrumental in developing Medicaid reforms and a proposal to extend health coverage to younger New Yorkers. Mr. Baker served as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services under Governor Eliot Spitzer, after having directed the Health Care Bureau under Spitzer when he was attorney general of New York. Mr. Baker was Executive Vice President of Medicare Rights from 1994 to 2001, and prior to that was Associate Director of Legal Services for Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Mr. Baker graduated from the University of Virginia’s School of Law.
WHAT WE DO
Getting Medicare Right
The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives.
Since 1989, we’ve been helping people with Medicare understand their rights and benefits, navigate the Medicare system, and secure the quality health care they deserve. We strive to be the most reliable source of independent, unbiased Medicare information in the United States.