Our Team

James C. Capretta

James C. Capretta is a Senior Advisor at Leavitt Partners with expertise in Medicare and Medicaid payment issues and the intersection of the federal budget process and health care policy. Capretta has two decades of experience as a senior analyst of U.S. health care.

From 2001 to 2004 Mr. Capretta served as an Associate Director at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where he was the top official for health care programs, including all matters related to Medicare and Medicaid payment and regulatory issues. At OMB, Mr. Capretta was also responsible for Social Security, education, and welfare program oversight.

Since leaving government service in 2004, Mr. Capretta has become a frequent public commentator on health care and fiscal policy matters. He serves as a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a Principal at Civic Enterprises, LLC, where he is a policy and research consultant.

Mr. Capretta’s essays and articles have appeared in prominent national publications and online outlets, including Health Affairs, National Affairs, Kaiser Health News, RealClearPolitics and The Weekly Standard. He has testified before Congress and has appeared as a commentator on Fox News, Fox Business News, and CNBC, as well as numerous national and local radio programs. He is a frequent speaker at health policy conferences and meetings.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Capretta served for a decade in Congress as a senior analyst for health care issues at the Senate Budget Committee and for three years as a budget analyst at OMB. He earned his MA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University in 1987, and he graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1985 with a BA in Government.