Sarah Somers is the Legal Director at the National Health Law Program. In this role, Sarah leads NHeLP’s legal and policy staff, overseeing multiple teams that are dedicated to preserving access to care, correcting disparities, promoting health policies that prioritize individuals, and providing training and support to advocates.
As a committed advocate, Sarah also works with advocates across the country, engaging in litigation, research, writing, and training on the Medicaid program, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Affordable Care Act, among other issues. She has litigated Medicaid cases in the federal and state courts across the country, including the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits, and district courts from California to Maine.
Sarah is a co-author of the National Health Law Program’s flagship publication, An Advocates Guide to the Medicaid Program (5th Ed. 2024). Her other recent publications include The Ongoing Racial Paradox of the Medicaid Program, 16 J. Health and Life Sci. L. 96 (2022); Medicaid’s Gold Standard Coverage for Children and Youth: Past, Present, and Future¸ 30 Annals Health L. & Sci. 153 (co-author) (2021); and The Supreme Court’s Access to Court Decisions in 2023-2024, 18 St. Louis J Health Law & Policy (2025).
