Health Policy Profiles “Ones to Watch”: Where Are They Now? The Final Four
With the 2024 election fast approaching, we’re briefly checking in with the four remaining Health Policy Profiles Top 10 to Watch from 2020: Senator Ben Ray Luján, along with Representatives Jake Auchincloss, Stephanie Bice and Andrew Garbarino.
Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-MN)
Before joining the Senate, Luján served over a decade in the U.S. House, occupying a stint as Assistant Speaker and sitting as a member of the Energy & Commerce Committee—a powerful committee of jurisdiction over health care issues.
While serving in the House, Luján was the highest-ranking House Democrat to endorse Medicare for All, and spearheaded legislation that would enable Americans to buy into their state’s Medicaid program. Luján has carried this commitment into the Senate, where he continues to champion the State Public Option Act alongside his colleagues. Also during his time in the House, Luján showed his deep health care policy chops through his involvement in the development of the 21st Century Cures Act.
As a Senator, Luján has continued his involvement in health care policymaking, sitting on the influential Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Health Subcommittee.
In January 2022, a year into his time in the Senate, Luján experienced fatigue and dizziness while home in New Mexico, prompting him to go to the hospital, where it was determined he had experienced a stroke. After undergoing treatment at the University of New Mexico Hospital, Luján returned to his work in the Senate, saying he was 90% recovered in April of that year.
Since this experience, Senator Luján has used his platform to elevate the experiences of stroke patients, working with colleagues from across the aisle to annually dedicate May as “American Stroke Month.”
Additionally, Senator Luján has sponsored legislation that would:
- Support pregnant and postpartum women,
- Dedicate resources to mental health care,
- Expand access to physical therapy,
- Enhance programs for those living with substance use disorder and
- Increase oral health literacy and awareness.
Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA)
Congressman Auchincloss established a formidable reputation as an Ivy-league graduate, Marine Corps Major and dedicated public servant on the Newton, MA City Council from 2015-2021.
His selection as one of our Top 10 to Watch was significantly influenced by his deep-rooted family connections in health care. His mother, Laurie Glimcher, broke barriers as the first female CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while his father, Hugh Auchincloss, served as Dr. Tony Fauci’s top deputy at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and took on the role of acting director in January 2023. Additionally, his sister, Kalah Auchincloss, has held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for two FDA Commissioners.
In the House, Congressman Auchincloss continues to build upon his family’s legacy in health care policy, joining various caucuses advocating for patients impacted by Alzheimer’s, substance use disorder, lupus, celiac disease, multiple cancers, congenital heart defects, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, rare diseases and Tourette’s syndrome, while also pushing for increased funding for medical research.
Congressman Auchincloss has shown strong support for the Medicare drug pricing provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as other policy efforts to control drug costs for patients, including legislation targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
Representative Stephanie Bice (R-OK)
Congresswoman Bice, an Oklahoma AARP Legislative Leadership Award recipient, previously advocated for the elderly in the Oklahoma State Senate, where she championed legislation requiring informed consent for nursing homes to administer powerful antipsychotic drugs.
In Washington, Bice has staked out a lane championing women and mothers through her membership in the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and the Congressional Maternity Care Caucus. Bice has sponsored the Access to Safe Contraception Act with several of her Republican colleagues, which would prohibit states from banning any FDA-approved contraceptives, though it would not eliminate religious or personal belief exemptions, which permit health care providers to decline prescribing contraceptives to patients and allow insurance companies to opt out of covering them.
Additionally, Congresswoman Bice has co-sponsored several pieces of health-related legislation that would:
- Expand access to baby formula and donor milk,
- Protect families from fertility treatment fraud by establishing a new criminal offense for purposeful misrepresentation of source DNA,
- Expand research into menopause and perimenopause,
- Limit implementation of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders for some unemancipated minors,
- Establish transparency requirements on PBMs,
- Authorize new clinical trials for pediatric cancer treatments,
- Address workforce shortages among primary care providers and
- Help prevent future drug shortages.
Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)
With nearly a decade of experience in the New York Legislature, Congressman Garbarino brings extensive expertise in regulating the insurance industry to Capitol Hill, having served as the Chairman of the Insurance Committee in Albany. His deep understanding of insurance policy was further enhanced through his involvement with the National Council of Insurance Legislators, a group that works to “both preserve the state jurisdiction over insurance … and … serve as an educational forum for public policy makers.”
Garbarino sought out a leadership role on Capitol Hill, co-chairing both the Congressional Lupus and Tourette Syndrome Caucuses. Additionally, the Congressman joined caucuses to advocate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), congenital heart disease, down syndrome and multiple sclerosis patients.
As an active member of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus, Representative Garbarino sponsored legislation to designate October as “National Down Syndrome Month.” Garbarino has also sponsored the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, which would provide permanent and mandatory funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and update funding formulas to prevent future funding shortfalls and ensure consistent care for Ground Zero first responders.
Continuing his mission to support public servants, Garbarino joined a bipartisan group of legislators to cosponsor the Public Safety Officer Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act, which would require the CDC to collect and share information about concussions and traumatic brain injuries among public safety officers.
We hope you enjoyed our recent editions of CURA’s Capitol Corner, where we caught up with the 2020 Health Policy Profiles Top 10 to Watch who are still making a measurable impact in Congress. We will continue to monitor the significant work these legislators are undertaking to transform our health care system for the better.
We’re excited to return later this year with insights on the incoming freshman members of the 119th Congress—emerging leaders in health policy who’ve caught our attention as the next up-and-coming names making waves Washington.
In the meantime, if our experienced, bipartisan team can assist you in advancing your organization’s priorities for 2025, don’t hesitate to reach out!
