WASHINGTON, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has officially announced the appointment of Amol Navathe, MD, PhD, as the new Chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Navathe is a prominent internal medicine physician and leading national scholar on health care financing and behavioral economics, his term as Chair will extend through April 2029.
“For nearly three decades, MedPAC has served as an independent, nonpartisan advisory body for Congress covering the full range of critical issues facing the Medicare program,” said Orice W. Brown, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO. “I am confident that the new leadership, in collaboration with commission members and staff, will continue to support congressional deliberations with robust, evidence-based information and recommendations.”
“I am honored to step into this role and lead MedPAC’s work in support of Congress, the Medicare program, and its beneficiaries,” said Dr. Navathe.
Dr. Navathe’s appointment comes at a crucial time for Medicare, as the program navigates complex fiscal challenges and a shift toward value-based care. Beyond his MedPAC duties, Dr. Navathe is a Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and a Professor of Healthcare Management and Economics at the Wharton School. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (Penn LDI).
His extensive research portfolio bridges the gap between medical practice and economic policy. As the founding director of The Parity Center at UPenn Navathe has pioneered work on using behavioral economics to design financial and nonfinancial incentives that improve patient outcomes while controlling costs. Recently, he and his colleagues at MedPAC have been highly focused on strategies to bring down prescription drug costs in the Medicare Part B program. Navathe brings a breadth of experience to MedPAC, as a successful health care technology entrepreneur and with prior board service for SCAN Health Plan and Hawaii Medical Services Association, both of which operate Medicare Advantage plans.
Dr. Navathe’s achievements also reflect a family tradition of academic excellence and service. His father, Dr. Shamkant B. Navathe, is a renowned computer scientist and longtime Georgia Institute of Technology scholar whose work in database systems, data modeling, database design, bioinformatics, and computing education has influenced generations of students and researchers. Dr. Sham Navathe has been honored as an ACM Fellow for contributions to data modeling, database design, and database education. Together, the accomplishments of Dr. Sham Navathe and Dr. Amol Navathe represent a powerful intergenerational commitment to knowledge, innovation, mentorship, and public benefit—spanning computer science, data systems, medicine, healthcare economics, and national policy.
Dr. Amol Navathe’s unique dual perspective as a practicing clinician and a distinguished health economist will guide MedPAC as it continues to advise Congress on accuracy of payments in Medicare, the effects of payment on plans and providers, and protecting access to high-quality care for millions of beneficiaries.
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SOURCE Dr. Amol Navathe
