Rosemarie Day is a health reform pioneer who has worked through the value chain of the health care industry, from start-ups to major corporations to government. She has a passion for transforming organizations by connecting strategy to execution and developing strong teams. She has led through uncertainty and handled crises calmly and effectively. She works collaboratively with diverse groups to achieve groundbreaking results. Her goals include improving access to health care in the US and making health care more consumer-focused and patient-centered.
Rosemarie has bridged gaps between the public, private and non-profit sectors throughout her career to develop new possibilities. As a founding leader of the Health Connector in Massachusetts, Rosemarie played a significant role in launching the award-winning organization that established the first state-run health insurance exchange in the United States and brought the uninsured rate down to 2%, the lowest in the country. During her tenure, the Health Connector became a model for national health reform.
As the Founder & CEO of Day Health Strategies, she initially focused on implementing national health reform. She built on her company’s early success and is now serving organizations that want to transform their approach to offering or delivering health care. A nationally recognized expert in health reform and an accomplished leader, Rosemarie has advised numerous companies on their health reform and related strategies.
Previously, Rosemarie served as Chief of Staff to the Dean of Harvard Kennedy School, where she helped to lead strategic planning and develop the leadership to grow the school in a new direction. She also served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Massachusetts Medicaid program, a $6 billion state agency covering more than 1 million members, where she led strategic change and improved overall performance on major projects and daily operations. She honed her fiscal skills through several senior level positions, including Assistant Secretary for Administration & Finance, as well as Budget Director for the Department of Transitional Assistance, a $1 billion state agency.
Teaching and Thought Leadership
Rosemarie shares her experience through teaching, writing, and advising. She held a faculty appointment at Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, guest lectures at many universities, including the Harvard School of Public Health and MIT Sloan School, and has served as a Visiting Fellow at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. In addition to publishing Marching Toward Coverage, she has contributed chapters to other publications, including The Affordable Care Act as a National Experiment. She has also authored several articles and op eds on health reform and leading strategic change. She has served as a Senior Advisor to other consulting firms, including McKinsey and Health Management Associates.
Education and Family
Rosemarie holds an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School and an AB from Stanford University. She has four children and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts where she’s been an active volunteer in the Somerville Public Schools, a diverse urban district. She served on the Healey School Site Council where she championed off-site learning opportunities for all children.
She currently lives with her husband Steve, a lawyer, and their youngest daughters, Ellie and Sarah, who are attending Somerville High School. Her twins, Kate and Andrew, have attended college and are now gainfully employed. She also lives with her other son, Winston, a fierce protector of the home front (see below!).
