Rachel Schmidt, Ph.D.

Research Professor

Rachel Schmidt, Ph.D. is a Research Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. She is an expert on Medicare, and at MPI, she researches and provides technical assistance on Medicare Advantage, Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit, and Medicare sustainability issues.

Dr. Schmidt served nearly two decades as a staff member for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) where she provided technical expertise on Part D. Over her career at MedPAC, she also researched and supported the Commission’s work on potential changes to the design of Medicare’s traditional benefits, private supplemental coverage, cost sharing in Medicare Advantage plans, private equity investment in Medicare providers, and vertical integration in companies that sponsor Part D plans. Prior to MedPAC, Dr. Schmidt spent over a decade on the staff of the Congressional Budget Office.

Dr. Schmidt holds a doctorate in Policy Studies from the RAND School of Public Policy and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Economics.