Marge started as an RN, working for the Peace Corps in West Africa and Nepal; running a clinic for the United Farm Workers; setting up a free clinic in Philly; and being a home care nurse in inner-city Baltimore. Back in SF where she started, she worked for the S.F. VNA, received an MPH at UC Berkeley, established an adult day health center at Laguna Honda Hospital and later was director of aging services at the S.F. Institute on Aging. She moved to Sacramento in 1990, where she discovered the health decisions movement. In 1994, she became the founding director of Sacramento Healthcare Decisions which changed its name to the Center for Healthcare Decisions in 2009.

Her 20+ years of engaging the public in healthcare policy discussions is the foundation for her commitment to improving health care quality and affordability. She currently serves on the Boards of National Quality Forum; Integrated Healthcare Association; and California Hospital Assessment & Reporting Task Force (CHART). She also serves on NCQA’s Committee on Performance Measurement; the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF) Advisory Committee; and the Medi-Cal Performance Advisory Committee. In 2011, she served on the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Essential Health Benefits, tasked with developing the principles for implementing coverage under the ACA.