Jennifer Evans is a shareholder in the Health Care Department and head of the firm’s Health Care Compliance practice. Her legal practice is focused on fraud and abuse, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and regulatory compliance. She advises large health systems, emerging companies in health care and entities focused on behavioral health serving commercial and safety net patients.

Jennifer served as Deputy Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, the single state agency responsible for administering Medicaid and the CHP+ programs. At Colorado Medicaid she was responsible for Administration & Operations including audit, program integrity, provider enrollment, claims payment and information technology. Jennifer previously served as Legislative Director and Legislative Assistant for Health Care in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the following: American Health Law Association (AHLA), Denver Public Schools Foundation and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Education

  • University of Colorado Law School (J.D., 1998)
    • University of Colorado Boulder (B.A., 1991)
      • Boston University, London Programme (1989)

        Bar Admission

        • Colorado

        Professional Affiliations

        • American Health Law Association (AHLA)
          • Board of Directors
          • Former Program Committee, Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Reimbursement

        Civic Involvement

        • Denver Public Schools Foundation, Board member
        • Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
          • Board of Directors 
          • Health Care Committee, Former Co-Chair
        • Member of Transition Subcommittee on Health and Human Services for Governor Elect Jared Polis and the Polis-Primavera Administration
        • Member of Transition Subcommittee on Health and Human Services for Governor Elect John Hickenlooper

        Recognition

        • 2023 University of Colorado Law School Alumni Award - Distinguished Achievement—Private Practice
        • Named a Colorado Women’s Bar Association 2022 Raising the Bar Honoree
        • Named to 5280 Magazine’s “Denver’s Top Lawyers” list for Health Law, 2022-2026
        • Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America® for Health Care Law, 2021-2026
        • Named Top 25 Most Powerful Women by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, 2020 
        • Named Barrister's Best "Best Health Care Lawyer" by Law Week Colorado, 2016, 2018, 2019
        • Selected as a 2018 Lawyer of the Year by Law Week Colorado
        • Named in "Denver’s Outstanding Woman in Business" by Denver Business Journal, 2016
        • Named in the Pro Bono Champions Class of 2012 by American Health Law Association (AHLA)
        Publications
        All Publications
        The Work Behind the Work Requirement: CMS Imposes Sweeping Medicaid Community Engagement Rule
        Key Takeaways On June 1, CMS released an interim final rule implementing the new Medicaid community engagement requirement (i.e., work requirement) as a condition of Medicaid eligibility for adults aged 19-64 with access to Medicaid coverage as a result of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. States will need to build and pay for substantial operational infrastructure, eligibility system modifications, verification processes, outreach materials and reporting mechanisms before the January 1, 2027, implementation deadline. While the rule is directed at state Medicaid agencies, health care providers, managed care organizations, community-based organizations, and other entities serving Medicaid populations should prepare for increased rates of uncompensated care as impacted beneficiaries face additional eligibility and enrollment hurdles. Medicaid eligible adults who are medically frail face increased
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        CMS Proposes Caps on Medicaid State Directed Payments and Fee for Service Supplemental Payments, Further Cutting Federal Funding of Medicaid
        Key Takeaways: On May 22, 2026, CMS published a proposed rule (Proposed Rule), building on (and going beyond) the requirements of H.R. 1, outlining its plan to reduce both state directed payments (SDPs) and fee-for-service supplemental payments for Medicaid providers. SDPs – a common Medicaid financing tool that requires Medicaid managed care plans to make specific payments to certain provider types in order to advance Medicaid policy objectives (access to care, quality, parity, etc.) will largely be capped at a percentage of Medicare payments limiting a common rate structure tied to average commercial reimbursement.  This change impacts nearly all SDPs, not just the historical emphasis on services tied to academic medical centers. The Proposed Rule also targets fee-for-service supplemental payments, subjecting them to the
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