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OLYMPIA — Today Governor Bob Ferguson appointed Ryan Moran director of the Washington State Health Care Authority, effective August 18. Moran currently serves as Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing and Medicaid Director for the Maryland Department of Health.

“Ryan’s passion and experience make him a great choice to lead the Health Care Authority,” Ferguson said. “His expertise will help us provide equitable, high-quality health care to the people of Washington.” 

“I am honored to join Governor Ferguson to lead the Washington State Health Care Authority to support strengthening the health and wellbeing of nearly a third of Washingtonians through the delivery of health care coverage via Medicaid, public and school employee benefits, and behavioral health and recovery,” Moran said. “I look forward to advancing the work and mission of the agency in such a critical time for health care nationally and am committed to ensuring those we serve receive access to integrated, person-centered care. Through strong partnership and collaboration with communities, sister state agencies, health care providers, health plans, and other stakeholders, we will leverage all the assets and resources in the Health Care Authority to ensure a health care system that is responsive to the needs of Washingtonians.”

Moran has overseen Maryland’s Medicaid program since April 2023, serving more than 1.5 million Marylanders receiving critical acute, outpatient, and behavioral health services and 125,000 providers that serve Medicaid participants.

In early 2025, Moran served as Acting Secretary of Health at the Maryland Department of Health. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, which seeks to elevate and support 56 state and territory Medicaid programs in providing coverage to those they serve.

Previously, Moran served as Chief Executive Officer for Whitman-Walker Health System, a community-centered enterprise committed to advancing social justice and equality through health.

As Assistant Vice President, Care Transformation for MedStar Health's four hospitals in the Baltimore region, Moran oversaw nearly $130 million in community benefit reporting.

Moran holds a doctor of public health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where his research explored peer recovery specialist interventions to address opioid use and reduce acute care costs. He was named a John Hume Scholar at Johns Hopkins for his potential in future significant contributions to the field of public health.

Moran earned bachelor’s degrees in public policy and business administration from the University of Charleston, and a master’s in health services administration from Xavier University.

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement regarding the latest revenue forecast from the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, which projects revenue over the next four years to be $720 million lower than the Legislature assumed in its budget:

“While this revenue forecast is disappointing, it is not surprising. We knew that things were unlikely to improve in the near term, especially in light of continued chaos from the Trump Administration — including tariffs, which have an outsized negative impact on a trade-dependent state like Washington. It is particularly discouraging given the current efforts by the Trump Administration to make draconian cuts to Medicaid, education and food benefits. If those move forward, it will mean billions of dollars in cuts impacting our most vulnerable residents. The forecast makes it abundantly clear that we as a state cannot replace all of those dollars.

“My team is still analyzing the information in this forecast. At this time, I do not anticipate calling a special session. We are closely monitoring developments from the federal government that could force me to revisit that question. We will also carefully review the next revenue forecast in September.

“As we begin preparing to draft my first budget, OFM has already communicated to agencies that they need to look for additional savings.

“This will not be easy. We already made many difficult decisions last session in order to bridge our $16 billion shortfall. Washingtonians expect us as leaders to make the tough decisions to live within our means and still deliver core services.”

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