Our experts Mark Galay, Stephen Williams, Kim Vukhac, and Joe Mercer discuss recent legislative & regulatory catalysts, including Congressional priorities entering August recess and setting up for the lame-duck session as well as the recently proposed Calendar Year 2025 rules
Mr. Galay focuses on legislative affairs, maintaining Congressional and industry relations, and healthcare policy analysis for Marwood Group. Previously, he served as the Legislative Assistant for a senior member of the House Ways & Means Committee. In his work, he developed the Congressman’s legislative health care agenda, introducing several pieces of legislation, some of which signed into law. He advised the Congressmen on key health policy initiatives such as the 21st Century Cures Act, the repeal & replace debate, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Mr. Galay studied Biology and Chemistry at Cleveland State University.
Dr. Williams leads Marwood’s Products Team, which includes coverage of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, clinical laboratories, dialysis, PBMs and devices. This includes focusing on analyzing regulatory issues related to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal agencies responsible for regulating medical products. Prior to joining the Marwood Group, Dr. Williams was an investment banker focused on pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. He was engaged in helping both privately held and publicly traded companies raise growth capital and develop business development strategies. Prior to that, he was an equity analyst covering the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and covered over a dozen U.S. and European companies. Prior to working in the financial sector, Dr. Williams was a biomedical researcher and has held faculty positions at Vanderbilt University and Baylor College of Medicine. He holds a PhD in pharmacology from London University and an MBA from George Washington University.
Ms. Vukhac focuses on analyzing issues related to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies responsible for regulating medical products. Prior to joining the Marwood Group, Ms. Vukhac was a senior equity research analyst at CLSA/Credit Agricole Securities (USA) covering the specialty and large-cap pharmaceutical sectors. Prior to that, Ms. Vukhac was healthcare portfolio manager and analyst at Balyasny Asset Management following the specialty and large-cap pharmaceutical sectors and small/mid-cap medical device sector. Prior to her experience in asset management, Ms. Vukhac was an analyst and member of the six-time #1 Institutional Investor ranked team covering specialty pharmaceuticals at Bank of America Securities and Credit Suisse First Boston. Ms. Vukhac holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Mercer leads Marwood’s healthcare services and managed care practices. Prior to joining the Marwood Group, Mr. Mercer served as a Program Analyst at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) division at CMS. From his tenure at CCIIO, Mr. Mercer brings with him substantial expertise covering government health insurance programs with a focus on ACA exchange and Medicare Advantage policy issues and catalysts. As a Program Analyst at CCIIO, some of Mr. Mercer’s core responsibilities included tracking Federal and State legislative and regulatory changes, translating statutory and regulatory requirements into policy guidance, analyzing provisions of the Affordable Care Act for Federal and State regulators as well as health insurers, serving as a health insurance issuer rating subject matter expert, and collaborating with other CCIIO groups and contractors with a primary focus on working with the Federally Facilitated Marketplace development and policy teams. Mr. Mercer holds a JD from Washington & Lee University School of Law and a BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary.