Duties

As a Health Insurance Specialist, you provide complex analysis of the impacts of legislative, regulatory, or policy changes on safety net providers and access to care for HRSA's underserved populations.

Your major duties and responsibilities include:

• Analyzing regulatory, sub-regulatory, legislative and policy related issues under the Medicare and/or Medicaid Programs, federal/state health insurance market places; and/or other health insurance programs for impact on beneficiaries of changes in eligibility, benefits, and access to care; impact on provider classifications, conditions of participation, payment systems, and delivery system reform.
• Conducting special assignments, projects and analyses designed to measure and improve program effectiveness, especially as they relate to health care financing for uninsured and vulnerable populations.
• Evaluating, synthesizing and providing authoritative advice based on news articles, external reports, and studies to identify potential health care payment policy, regulatory, and/or delivery system reform technical issues and concerns.
• Developing briefing materials, background information, and testimony for agency officials' appearances, including data on current national health status and financing issues, budget history and justifications, state initiatives and program assessments and accomplishments.

NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U. S. Citizenship is required.
• All qualifications and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Federal applicants must submit an SF-50 to show status and time-in-grade.
• Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Position is in the Bargaining Unit.
• Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
• Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
• THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT. REFER TO THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS MANDATE.

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 01/21/2022

Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS are defined as qualifications that an applicant must possess, at a minimum, to be eligible to participate in an assessment for hire or promotion under the competitive system, e.g., education, experience, and/or other requirements (e.g., licensure). Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position receive no further consideration.

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service.
Examples of the minimum qualifying experience equal to the GS-12 level include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

Analyzing the impact of Medicare, Medicaid, and Health Insurance Marketplace programs on the provision of public health programs;

AND

Researching proposed Medicare, Medicaid or health insurance regulatory changes and summarizing that information in writing to inform senior leadership.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEMS AND FINANCING PROGRAMS - Knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance financing systems and policies to analyze and advise on healthcare payment systems, financing issues and policies that impact safety net health care grantees, providers and practitioners.

HEALTH PROGRAMS AND POLICY ANALYSIS - Analyzes, interprets and explains the health impacts of programs, policies, proposals, and legislation.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11314984

Current status candidates must meet Time-in-Grade (TIG) by the closing date of this announcement. To allow us to verify that you meet TIG requirements, provide any of the following SF-50s:

Please Note: Current year pay adjustments are not acceptable for verifying TIG (ex. 2021 general increases cannot be used to verify TIG).

• Competitive or Career-ladder promotion to your highest grade (this does not include 120 day temporary promotions)
• Regular Within Range Increase (WRI) or With In Grade (WGI) increase at your highest grade (this does not include quality step increases (QSIs).
• Competitive career/career-conditional appointment to your highest grade.
• SF-50 at your highest grade held, that is at least one year older than the announcement closing date of 01/21/2022.

Not sure which SF-50 to submit? Check out our video... Go here to watch the video on the SF50s to submit in your application package .

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.

Vaccination Mandate :
In accordance with Executive Order 14043 , Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to exceptions that may be required by law. If selected, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before your entrance on duty if you are selected after the compliance date. Your HR Consultant will provide a list of documents acceptable as proof of vaccination and instructions for how to submit a request for a legally required exception, if needed, to comply with vaccination requirement.

Expanded/Maximum telework Posture :
Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in a maximum telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to telework upon your appointment. As employees are permitted to return to the office, you may be required to report to the duty station listed on this announcement, even if your home/temporary telework site is located outside the local commuting area. Your position may be eligible for workplace flexibilities which may include remote work or telework options, and/or flexible work scheduling. These flexibilities may be requested in accordance with the HHS Workplace Flexibilities policy.

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.

Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees . Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.

E-Verify: HRSA participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here .