Patricia Q. Schoeni
Executive Director
National Coalition on Health Care

Ms. Schoeni joined the Coalition after more than 20 years experience in public relations, government affairs, organizational development and management.

In her career in both government and the private sector, Ms. Schoeni has established and directed national and state public affairs programs involving media outreach, grassroots organizing, focus group and public opinion polling, consumer education, TV and documentary production, and advertising. Her subject matter expertise is in health care – Medicare, Medicaid, commercial health insurance, managed care, long-term care – and in health care public policy.

In addition to her work with the Coalition, Ms. Schoeni has been a consultant on both organizational and public relations issues to federal and state government agencies, health and life insurance companies, and health-related private and non-profit associations.

From 1988 to 1992, Ms. Schoeni was the Director of Communications for the Health Insurance Association of America, the trade group which represents the country’s major health insurance companies. She established and managed the public affairs office for the Association and served as the primary spokesperson for the insurance industry.

At the U.S. General Services Administration from 1980 to 1988, Ms. Schoeni was the Associate Administrator for Administration, with responsibility for public and government affairs, personnel and training. For a 16-month period in 1986-1987, she was Acting Deputy Administrator of the agency, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the 60,000-person organization that is the logistical and management arm of the federal government.

In 1977, Ms. Schoeni established the Office of Public Affairs in the newly formed Health Care Financing Administration within the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which has responsibility for the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Prior to that time, she had been involved in public affairs activities within the Department, including the Professional Standards Review Organization program, the anti-smoking effort and more than a dozen additional health care programs.

A Summa cum laude graduate of D’Youville College in Buffalo, N. Y., Ms. Schoeni also has a M.A. in English from George Washington University.

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