Heritage Foundation policy experts Marie Fishpaw and Doug Badger were recently recognized as two of the most influential voices on health care policy by Business Insider.
The article, “Meet the 24 Most Powerful People Advising Trump on Health Care,” profiled Fishpaw and Badger for the impact they’ve had on recent federal health care reform initiatives. The list also included Vice President Mike Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“The recognition from Business Insider of the impact of Marie and Doug’s work on health care reform is well deserved,” said Charmaine Yoest, vice president for Heritage’s Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity. “Both Marie and Doug have been strong representatives for a conservative vision for health care reform for many years.”
Fishpaw was recognized for her work creating consensus around the Health Care Choices Proposal, a reform plan endorsed by dozens of conservative leaders that would lower health care costs, increase coverage options, and protect the most vulnerable.
The Health Care Choices Proposal recommendations were reflected in a plan released by U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., chairman of the Republican Study Committee. Johnson thanked Fishpaw for her work at Heritage’s President’s Club meeting in 2019.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Fishpaw led Heritage’s domestic policy team by assembling a volunteer medical advisory group that includes a former leader of the American Medical Association and a former director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As an example of her team’s impact, their recommendations on telehealth were adopted by Congress and the Trump administration in the early days of the pandemic response. This regulatory relief led to large increases in its use and adoption by doctors and patients.
Badger is a well-respected voice in conservative health care policy circles with a long track record of expertise that policymakers rely on as they formulate health policy.
As a visiting fellow at Heritage, Badger outlined a strategy for changing COVID-19 conditions on the ground by relying on targeted public health mitigation responses—instead of broad-based lockdowns.
He’s also exposed how the CDC’s failures to get the right data to policymakers and medical providers have made the pandemic harder to address—and developed a roadmap to fix this problem.
Badger also wrote a roadmap, endorsed by leading House and Senate Republicans, to lower prescription drug costs by addressing government incentives that drive up costs. Additionally, he created a reform plan to end surprise medical billing with price transparency and truth-in-advertising.
