Q&A with healthcare leader Monica Coury

Monica Coury is the vice president of external affairs at Arizona Complete Health. She oversees the company’s state and local public affairs strategy, including directing government relations, advocacy initiatives, community outreach, media relations, marketing, and stakeholder engagement. Previously, Coury directed intergovernmental relations for Arizona’s Medicaid program, known as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS. 

As chair-elect of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Monica is slated to assume the role of chair in 2026. 

In a recent Q&A, Coury discussed her role at Arizona Complete Health, her role as chair-elect of the Arizona Chamber Board of Directors, and how the discussion over Medicaid funding reductions at the federal level could affect Arizona. 

What are some of Arizona Complete Health’s priorities and areas of focus this year? 

Monica: We are known as the Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) for northern and southern Arizona. This means that we serve individuals with serious mental illness and we manage the crisis system in those areas. We’ve had tremendous success over the years in the region.  

For instance, we’ve worked with the Tucson Police Department to co-locate in their 911 communications center with behavioral health clinicians. This allows them to triage calls that really need somebody to respond to them in a clinical way for mental health or substance use disorder needs. That way, we can deploy a crisis mobile team to the individual in need instead of having to deploy the police.  

We’ve also done a lot of work helping people as they come out of incarceration to reintegrate into the community with the right kinds of support so that they can be successful. We’ve done a lot of partnership work with a broad group of stakeholders, from the courts to law enforcement to housing folks. We’ve supported individuals to help them get and maintain housing and employment, and we connect them with various resources. We do this so they can thrive and live healthier lives and contribute to their families and broader community.  

Many Arizona Chamber members offer health insurance benefits for their own employees. Can you tell me why private sector employers should care about AHCCCS and managed care plans? 

In Arizona, our healthcare system is really interconnected. You’re insured by your employer’s plan and get care under that plan. But the healthcare institutions you rely on are the same ones that see individuals who are insured by AHCCCS. So, those funding streams–a $22 billion program–are critical to supporting and shoring up the broader health care system in the state of Arizona. 

So, all of those amazing places—from Barrow Neurological to Banner University to Phoenix Children’s, and many more—all of those systems have crucial Medicaid dollars flowing in through them. So, if that gets pulled out, it leaves a critical gap of funding for those systems of care–especially in rural areas. 

If pieces of Medicaid go away and previously covered individuals now are uncovered–meaning they don’t have health insurance–people still get sick, people still get in accidents, people still get cancer, unfortunately, and they end up going to the emergency rooms for their care. So, instead of getting preventive care, they’re waiting until the last minute because they have to and then they end up in the hospital and we’ve got a true emergency. That burden is not sustainable for hospitals, because that’s an individual who comes in with a high need and no payer source and with no ability to pay that bill themselves. So the hospital has to figure out how to manage this uncompensated care. 

To expand on that point, several potential reforms being discussed on Capitol Hill to dramatically reduce spending at a federal level on Medicaid. Can you explain how that will affect the state? 

Right now, there’s an effort to slash the federal budget. But when it comes to Medicaid funding, there needs to be a broader plan. Otherwise, there will be massive holes that float down to the state level, and that will be a huge, unmanageable burden for the states.  

It’s important for members of Congress to talk to their state leaders and their constituents, because many of their constituents rely on Medicaid for their health insurance. If that’s gone, that’s going to have a real serious impact, not just on the broader economy, but on individual lives. So, we need to be considering the impact at all levels. 

Why is AZ Complete Health a member of the Arizona Chamber? Why do you think it’s important to work in a pro-business coalition?

We’ve been a longtime member of the Arizona Chamber, and the number one reason is we’re a large employer in the state. We have over 3,000 employees across the state. We’re a big contributor to the state’s economy, and we care about the prosperity and the opportunities that exist in the state because it’s important to our employees, to the members and the clients that we serve, our provider partners that work alongside us, and for our business’s ability to thrive, grow, and innovate. 

One of the responsibilities that we have in serving the population is to push the envelope and tackle difficult challenges that face us. If there’s instability in the state’s leadership, politics and economy, or if the free market is hamstrung by government overreach and there are too many regulations, then that hampers our ability to implement practices that could change people’s lives for the better.

So, we really need to be mindful of the intersection of politics and business. That’s why the Chamber is important. 

Can you tell us about your role as chair-elect? What does that entail?

 I’ve been part of the Arizona Chamber for a long time. At one point, I was the chair of the Health Care Committee, and I did that for two or three years. Then I was the chair of the Public Affairs Committee for three years, and chair-elect was sort of the next progression. The chair-elect is there to support the chairman of the board–to provide additional support in service of the board, the broader Chamber, and to prepare to become the chair once the current chairman’s service has ended. 

What about Arizona makes it a great place to do business?

We have amazing places in the United States; amazing people, incredible landscapes and geography, and just wonderful, kind, caring people all across the country. But Arizona is unique. 

Arizona is a place that I feel has a mind of its own. It’s a free-thinking state. It’s a state where people come to find what excites them to build or grow a business. It’s a state where you can truly make dreams come true, which is exciting. Arizona is a place where there’s a high quality of life, good schools, nice communities, and strong infrastructure. We have all the components that are necessary to really be successful and to live a quality life.