Donna Friedsam

Donna Friedsam is a Distinguished Researcher Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She currently serves as a Strategic Initiatives Advisor to the Center for Patient Partnerships, where she is leading the evaluation of LIFT Wisconsin. Her nearly 25 years with UW have included directing Health Policy Programs within the UW Population Health Institute and launching the Medicaid Evaluation, Research, and Technical Assistance (MERTA) program within the UW Institute for Resarch on Poverty (IRP).  

Ms. Friedsam is subject matter expert in Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, health policy, health care access and financing, and safety net delivery systems. She consults on, analyzes, and evaluates programs in the public and private sectors, at the federal, state, and local levels. She also led the development of Wisconsin’s ACA Navigator entity, Covering Wisconsin. Earlier in her career, Ms. Friedsam served as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association.  

Peer-reviewed journal publications (recent examples)  

Dague L, Burns M, Friedsam D. 2022. The Line between Medicaid and Marketplace: Coverage Effects from Wisconsin’s Partial Expansion. J Health Polit Policy Law. 1;47(3):293-318. 

Dague L, Badaracco N, DeLeire T, Sydnor J, Tilhou AS, Friedsam D. 2022. Trends in Medicaid Enrollment and Disenrollment During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Wisconsin. JAMA Health Forum. 3(2):e214752.  

Other Selected Analyses, Scholarly Papers, and Issue Briefs (recent examples)

Friedsam D, Nash D. Elwood J, Brannen T. Wisconsin Individual Health Insurance Market Analysis: Network Adequacy. Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. September 2023.  

Friedsam D, Brannen T, Nash D, Hart L, Elwood J. Wisconsin Individual Health Insurance Market Analysis: Presence and Impact of Short-Term Limited Duration Plans. Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. May 2023.