Conor Laing Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

• Public Policy lead for Medicaid lines of business in Ohio, New Hampshire, Florida, and Texas• Provides policy and research support for Government Relations Directors in state lines of business• Public Policy lead for Affordable Care Act Marketplace line of business. Provides policy and research support for Marketplace implementation team• Responsible for legislative analysis, federal regulatory analysis, and market analysis for lines of business• Liaison and subject matter expert to AHIP, ACAP, MHPA, and state health insurance trade associations•Conducts extensive research into Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, social determinants of health, health care access, consumer health care protections, network adequacy and the No Surprises Act, pharmacy benefit manager regulation, prior authorization and gold carding, and maternal and child health

Austin, Texas Area

• Conducted cross-coordination policy analysis of programs administered by AES, including: Medicaid programs, Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities (long term medical services) programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)• Implemented policy changes by coordinating revisions to the Texas Works Handbook and the publication of policy memos issued from AES. Provided guidance on policy questions to field office staff on administering public assistance programsProvided policy input on division-wide workgroups and coordinated any policy changes that resulted from those workgroups• Served as assistant forms coordinator: implemented revisions to HHSC forms as point of contact with HHSC Division of Communications. Ensured form compliance with state and federal law. Compiled historical record of changes made to forms• Coordinated federal policy. Analyzed and tracked federal COVID-19 legislation impacting HHSC Access and Eligibility Services (AES) programs during the disaster response. Crafted memos about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the CARES Act, and the HEROES Act that were utilized by AES leadership. Observed congressional proceedings. Tracked and analyzed federal regulations and guidance. Provided daily updates to AES leadership. Took minutes during Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services meetings for AES leadership and staff. Alerted AES staff to pending legislation or guidance• Coordinated the publication and dissemination of COVID-19 policy changes with HHSC Communications• Reported to the Research and Development Support Team Lead, worked with two other Policy Analysts and a Senior Policy Analyst

Austin, Texas Area

• Analyzed hundreds of pieces of proposed legislation and summarized how each bill would affect statutory law in order to assist members of the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives in understanding the effects of bills• Analyzed legislation relating to insurance policy, health policy, public health policy, human services, education policy, natural resources policy, water policy, criminal justice policy, and government transparency and operations• Worked closely with legislative experts to gain deeper insight into how legislation affects the law

Austin, Texas Area

• Organized registered voters to promote the election of Democrats in Travis County, Texas. Organized for the successful election of Vicki Goodwin (D) to the Texas House of Representatives in House District 47• Transported other campaign staff and volunteers to canvassing locations. Provided support to other campaign staff during canvassing activities

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Analyze stakeholders surrounding specific policies including: 340B drug pricing program, Medicare, the pharmaceutical supply chain, health insurance coverage of specific treatments, health policy new media, and health economics• Examines and analyzes a range of health policy leaders at organizations including pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospitals, insurers, the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, MedPAC, MACPAC, members of Congress and senior staff; and other relevant academic and institutional stakeholders• Constructs 75-150 page reports and briefs the government affairs teams of four prominent health policy offices in the Washington, D.C. area on findings during in-person meetings• Reports to Executive Director and Director of Research on projects. Assists in managing one fellow and two interns• Employs network mapping software to create stakeholder maps and analyze relationships between policy communities and their relative levels of influence, authority, and connectivity to identify pathways and strategic opportunities for clients

Arlington, Virginia

• Collaborated with Associate to analyze thousands of pieces of legislation in state and territorial legislatures on specific policies including: Medicaid, managed care, telemedicine, the opioid epidemic, network adequacy, and insurance exchanges• Provided insights on state and local political dynamics behind legislative debates• Research was utilized by government affairs teams of dozens of health industry corporations and trade associations

Leadville, Colorado

• Collaborated with the Campaign Manager to register residents to vote, educate voters on policy positions taken by Rep. Hamner, encourage residents to vote for Rep. Hamner, and engage with local political parties to maintain relationship between campaign and local party leaders• Organized and attended campaign events in my region• Oversaw canvassing and phone banking interns and volunteers

Austin, Texas Area

• Co-authored a human services needs assessment for Marathon County, WI with the President and peer Public Policy Analyst, with special emphasis on mental health, substance abuse treatment, and family services• Analyzed public financial documents to find sources of revenue for the local mental health services agency• Conducted research on the history of interagency relationships in Marathon County as well as relationships with surrounding counties• Used available data to create charts and graphs that were accessible for community leaders and stakeholders

Austin, Texas Area

• Conducted analysis of surprise medical bills in Texas, California, New Jersey, and Oregon which was used by consumer advocates to advance consumer protections from balance billing at the state level• Conducted research for Consumers Union’s Insurance Complaint Tool to allow consumers to contact their Insurance Commissioner and provide information on how the complaint process works in each state• Conducted a survey to test the accuracy of Georgia health insurance provider directories which was used by consumer advocates in Georgia to successfully pass legislation to promote more accurate provider directories• Reported to the Interim Director of Health Reform and assisted the work being done by the 10 member Health Reform Team

Leadville, Colorado

• Collaborated with the Executive Director and the Leadville City Manager to compile the successful Main Street program application with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs• Coordinated and managed the Leadville Downtown Steering Committee• Developed and presented policy recommendations to the Leadville Downtown Steering Committee• Contributed to a Downtown Colorado, Inc. community assessment of the town of Creede, CO

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Durango, Colorado

Durango, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

• Researched the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s impacts on Administration for Children and Families programs• Compiled contact information of American Indian tribe human services leaders in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota

Master Of Public Affairs, Master Of Public Affairs

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Political Science - Summa Cum Laude