Health Policy Profiles “Ones to Watch”: Where Are They Now? Reps. Mace and Malliotakis

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC-1)

Prior to Rep. Mace joining the House as a part of the 117^th Congress, the former South Carolina state legislator was a rising star in health care policy due to her nuanced position on the pandemic and long-standing involvement in women’s health issues.

As the first female graduate of The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, Rep. Mace has long been a trailblazer. During her initial run for Congress in 2020, she demonstrated her conservative bona fides on health by arguing to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by “any means possible” and arguing in support of a Fetal Heartbeat Bill in the South Carolina legislature.

During her time in federal office, the Congresswoman’s priorities included maternal and veterans’ health care. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 repeal of federal abortion protections under Roe v. Wade, Representative Mace emerged as a voice encouraging protected access to contraceptives and in vitro fertilization (IVF) within the Republican caucus.

Notably, on June 27, 2024, Congresswoman Mace and Rep. Scott Perry introduced the IVF Protection Act, to “protect families’ access to [IVF] services,” which would prohibit any state from receiving Medicaid funding if it enacts a ban on IVF.

Since 2020, Congresswoman Mace joined several caucuses dedicated to health care issues, including the Bipartisan Family Building Caucus, Allergy and Asthma Caucus, Childhood Cancer Caucus, Rare Disease Caucus and Food Allergy Research Caucus.

In terms of health care policy initiatives, Rep. Mace has advocated for legislation that would:

• Increase audiologic care for Medicare beneficiaries
• Expand access to genetic screening and blood tests for Medicare and Medicaid recipients
• Strengthen access to orthotics and prosthetics for seniors
• Develop more treatments for pediatric cancer
• Provide access to Medicaid coverage for pre-trial detainees and formerly incarcerated individuals
• Establish protections for living organ donors
• Establish exceptions for step-therapy protocols for some patients
• Address Parkinson’s disease as part of the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which was recently signed into law

Rep. Mace continues to prioritize women’s health and maternal care by supporting legislation that provides more short-term childcare options for mothers and their families, expands access to donor human milk for babies and infants, dedicates funding to research into how to prevent stillbirths and addresses the needs of those experiencing menopause.

“Congresswoman Nancy Mace is dedicated to advancing health care for all Americans. She champions access to contraceptives and fertility care, advocates for veterans’ mental health, and supports critical exceptions in pro-life policies. Mace is a strong proponent of medical marijuana legalization and has taken a firm stand against big pharma to ensure essential medications are accessible and affordable. Her work ensures health care is accessible, affordable and of the highest quality for everyone.” 

Comments from the office of Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01)

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11)

Before becoming the only Republican representing any part of New York City in Congress, Rep. Malliotakis honed her political teeth in the New York State Assembly as Minority Whip in the chamber and member of the Aging and Ways & Means committees, along with the Women’s Caucus.

During her time in the state legislature, Malliotakis supported efforts to increase access to mental health care and address the opioid epidemic in her community. Malliotakis supported Kendra’s Law, state legislation that provides court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment for individuals who are unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision. Additionally, she sought to expand supportive housing for those living with mental illness, increase the availability of treatment options for those experiencing addiction, and support drug takeback programs, while opposing supervised injection sites in New York.

During her 2020 campaign, Malliotakis demonstrated a nuanced understanding of the ACA and the COVID-19 pandemic. While she supported efforts to reform and strengthen the health care system, Malliotakis avoided calling for full repeal of the ACA. Malliotakis was also critical of then-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s oversight of nursing homes during the early days of the pandemic and subsequently led significant efforts to share face masks and other personal protective equipment with constituents.

In Congress, Representative Malliotakis has continued her work on the nuts and bolts of governing as part of the influential Ways & Means Committee—one of the two health care “Committees of Jurisdiction” in the House of Representatives. Additionally, the Congresswoman has continued her active role in responding to the pandemic as part of the House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Congresswoman Malliotakis has advocated for legislation that would:

• Modernize digital health regulations to allow patients to schedule appointments online while protecting personal data and expand access to physical and occupational therapy services
• Enable children with complex medical conditions to more easily pursue out-of-state care
• Require insurance plans to cover breast cancer screening without cost sharing
• Limit anti-competitive pricing in dental care
• Establish alternatives to animals in medical testing
• Reduce patient copays
• Nullify COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care workers
• Expand access to over-the-counter contraceptives

Furthermore, Congresswoman Malliotakis has taken a specific interest in reforming Medicare and Medicaid, which is evident through her support of prohibiting federal Medicaid payments for noncitizens’ administrative costs, preventing private health plans from prematurely forcing end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients onto Medicare, increasing reimbursement rates under the Medicare physician fee schedule, allowing Medicare patients to receive drugs in the mail or have a caregiver pick them up on their behalf, preventing employers from forcing retirees onto Medicare Advantages against their choice, and expanding Medicaid coverage for mental health and addiction treatment.

As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, making our health care system more accessible and affordable for our seniors and families and cracking down on the exploitative pricing techniques of PBMs to protect patients and local pharmacies has been one of my top priorities,” Congresswoman Malliotakis said. “I’m proud to sponsor and cosponsor several pieces of legislation to accomplish this goal and I’ll continue to support commonsense legislation that puts patients first to ensure fair pricing across the board.

Comments from the office of Rep. Malliotakis

It’s clear that the policy landscape continues to evolve due to the dedicated efforts of influential leaders such as Representatives Nancy Mace and Nicole Malliotakis. But this is just the beginning. There’s much more to come as we continue to track the progress of our Top 10 to Watch from 2020. Over the next few weeks, we will explore the trajectories and impacts of these dynamic leaders in the realm of health care. Stay tuned!