Policy Coordinator (Also, Health Policy Adviser to Rep. Michael Bilirakis, one of the House negotiators), House Energy and Commerce Committee
Jeremy Allen was the policy coordinator for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He also served as health policy adviser to Rep. Michael Bilirakis, one of the House negotiators on Part D.

President's lead health policy adviser, Bush Administration
As the president's lead health policy advisor during the Bush administration, Doug Badger helped author the Part D legislation and served as the White House's chief negotiator with Congress.

Chief of Staff, Blanche Lincoln
Kelly Bingel was chief of staff for Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), who was a member of the Senate Finance subcommittee on Health Care when Part D passed.

Chief of Staff, Patty Murray
Rick Desimone was chief of staff for Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who was a member of the Senate HELP Committee when Part D passed.

Health Policy Advisor, Charles Grassley
Colette Desmarais was Health Policy Advisor to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), who was one of the legislators involved in the closed-door Part D negotiations, and was chair of the Senate Finance Committee when Part D passed.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation, HHS
As deputy assistant secretary for legislation for Health and Human Services, Raissa Downs helped spearhead Part D implementation.

Staff Director (working for Sen. Breaux's office), Senate Special Committee on Aging
Michelle Easton served as staff director for the Senate Special Committee on Aging while Part D was debated and passed. Later, after leaving briefly to serve as vice president of PhRMA while Part D was being implemented, she worked as chief health counsel to Sen. Max Baucus.

Chief of Staff, Rep. Dick Gephardt
Steven Elmendorf was the chief of staff for former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), who was House Minority Leader when Part D was passed.

Chief of Staff, John Shadegg
Elise Finley Pickering was Chief of Staff for John Shadegg (R-AZ), who was a member of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health and a key opponent of Medicare negotiating drug prices.

Legislative Assistant/Counsel to Sen. John Breaux
Rebecca Hawes was also a legislative assistant and counsel to former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA),

Senior Policy Advisor, Sen. Don Nickles
Stacey Hughes served as senior policy advisor to former Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK), who played a key role in Part D passage, and was a negotiatior in the closed-door talks for Part D.

Health Counsel, Senate HELP Committee
Steve Irizarry is the former health counsel for the Senate HELP Committee, which helped draft Part D legislation.

Communications director, Rep. Billy Tauzin
As head of the communications team for former Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA), Ken Johnson helped sell Part D.

Chief of Staff, health policy director, Sen. Orrin Hatch
Patricia Knight was the chief of staff and health policy advisor to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who was one of the Senate negotiators on the bill, and a key opponent of drug price negotiations.

Staff Director (under Chairman Bill Thomas - one of the House negotiators), House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health
John McManus' bio calls him "the chief staff architect of the landmark Medicare Modernization Act of 2003," the law that established Part D. He was staff director, under Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA), of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

Dep Asst Sec, Public Affairs, HHS
As the former deputy assistant secretary of public affairs at Health and Human Services, William Pierce helped sell the legislation that created Part D.

Senior Advisor, Sen. Bob Graham
Catharine Ransom was senior advisor to former Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL), who, at time of Part D passage, was a member of Senate Finance Committee's health care subcommittee.

Health Care Advisor, Bill Frist
In the late 1990s, Dean Rosen was majority counsel to the House Ways and Means health subcommittee, then he was senior vice president of policy and general counsel for the Health Insurance Association of America, an industry trade group. He later returned to Capitol Hill, first as staff director for the United States Senate Subcommittee on Public Health, then as health policy director for Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).

Legislative Director, Rep. John Tanner
Beau Schuyler is the former legislative director for Rep. John Tanner (D-TN), who was on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee when Part D was handled. Tanner said he supported negotiating drug prices, but his second largest source of contributions was the pharmacuetical industry.

Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Thomas Scully was an administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He was the head of Medicare during negotiations on the bill. As the bill was passing, he was negotiating his departure to Alston & Bird.

Aide, Nancy Pelosi
Sheri Stanton was an aide to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) when Part D was passed.

Legislative Assistant to Sen. John Breaux, legislative director of Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sen. John Breaux
Sarah Walter was a legislative assistant to former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA), who was instrumental in the passage of Part D. Breaux, now a lobbyist too, was also on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which is charged with overseeing health care for seniors.

Professional Staff, House Energy and Commerce Committee
As a staff member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Kathleen Weldon was one of several committee staffers thanked from the floor by Tauzin for their help in crafting and shepherding the Part D legislation.

Legislative Assistant to Rep. Marion Berry, professional staff of Senate HELP Committee, Rep. Marion Berry
Michael Woody worked on Part D legislation as a staff member of Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR), one of the House negotiators on the bill, and also a staffer of the Senate HELP Committee.

Assistant Secretary for Legislation, HHS
Jennifer Young oversaw all legislative efforts for the department of Health and Human Service, where she was assistant secretary for legislation. Young was an integral part of the administration's efforts to pass and implement the law that created Part D.