Karina Virrueta Running
Karina Virrueta Running
Deputy Director
Karina Virrueta Running, MPA serves as a Deputy Director of Medicaid Policy & Programs at Aurrera Health Group. Through policy development, project planning and management, and stakeholder engagement, Karina supports the California Department of Health Care Services to integrate long-term care into managed care, one of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiatives.
Prior to joining Aurrera Health Group, Karina was the Manager of Medicaid Hospital Policy and Rate Setting at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS). She oversaw the development of fee-for-service hospital reimbursement, the hospital quality and pay-for-performance strategy, and hospital financial policy. Having served in various roles while at WI DHS, Karina also supported Wisconsin’s self-directed long-term care program—Include, Respect, I Self-Direct (IRIS)—through policy analysis and development, contract monitoring, and stakeholder engagement. Her work included completing a 1915(c) waiver application and acting as the program lead for federal regulatory waivers in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Karina also worked in victim services policy and grant administration. She continues to stay engaged in this work by volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for child victims of abuse/neglect and serving on the board of directors for Domestic Abuse Intervention Services in Madison, Wisconsin.
Karina holds a master’s degree in public affairs and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She lives outside of Madison with her husband and spirited toddler son. She enjoys getting together with family and friends, gardening and yardwork, as well as home renovation projects.
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MPA, University of Wisconsin
BA, Psychology, University of Wisconsin
