Office of Legislation

Arielle Woronoff is the Director of the Office of Legislation. Arielle most recently served as Senior Health Counsel for the Senate Committee on Finance, Majority Staff under Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR).  Her portfolio was focused on the Affordable Care Act, drug pricing issues, and Medicare Advantage. During her time at the Finance Committee, she also worked on policy issues related to Medicare hospital payment and health information technology. Prior to this, Arielle worked for the House Energy & Commerce Committee for Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), covering Medicare Part B, the Affordable Care Act, and health information technology.  Arielle came to the Energy and Commerce Committee after advising Senator Cory A. Booker (D-NJ) on health. Arielle has a Master of Public Policy degree with a concentration in health policy from the Rutgers Bloustein School for Planning and Public Policy and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Arielle is from New Jersey and now lives in Washington, DC with her husband and daughter.

• Provides leadership and executive direction within CMS for legislative planning to address the Administration's agenda.
• Tracks, evaluates and develops provisions of annual legislative proposals for Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), private health insurance programs, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and related statutes affecting health care financing, health insurance, quality, and access in concert with CMS components, the Department and the Office of Management and Budget.
• Advances the legislative policy process through analysis, review and development of health care initiatives and issues.
• Develops the long-range legislative plans for CMS in collaboration with the CMS Centers, Offices, and the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• Participates with other CMS components in the development of CMS policy, including implementing regulations and administrative actions.
• Manages pro-actively CMS' response in times of heightened congressional oversight of CMS in collaboration with the Centers, Offices, and COO. Manages, coordinates and develops policies for responding to congressional inquiries.
• Coordinates activities with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation (ASL) and serves as the ASL's principal contact point on legislative and congressional relations.
• In collaboration with CMS Centers, Offices, and the COO, provides technical assistance, consultation and information services to congressional committees and individual members of Congress on the Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and private health insurance programs, new CMS initiatives, and pertinent legislation.
• In collaboration with the CMS Centers, Offices, and COO, provides technical, analytical, advisory, and information services to CMS' components, the Department, the White House, OMB, other government agencies, private organizations and the general public on CMS legislation.
• Tracks and reports on legislation relating to CMS programs and maintains legislative reference library.
• Coordinates CMS' participation in congressional hearings, including preparation of testimony and briefing materials, and covers all other congressional hearings on matters of interest to CMS except Appropriations Committee hearings specifically on the appropriation budget.
• Serves as the principle CMS contact and lead for all audits, which includes coordinating all aspects of the audit - writing and clearing responses, leading meetings with auditors, compiling document requests, and communicating with the auditors.