Name: Emily Murry
Hometown: Orange County, Calif.
Position: Republican director of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee
Age: 32
Alma mater: University of Southern California
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Washington Examiner: How did you get started in healthcare policy?
Murry: I’ve been on the Hill now for a little over 10 years. I first started with Rep. Ken Calvert who is my congressman from California. I then really got into the policy world and specifically into health policy when I went to work for [Rep. Tom] Price as his legislative assistant. That was right before the effort in the House on Obamacare, so 2008, I think it was.
I think it was a phenomenal experience to have your first healthcare job be for a doctor who is also a member because it pushes you to learn so much more. And to be able to answer all those questions they might have from that medical perspective. At that time, [Price] became chairman of the Republican Study Committee, so I moved over as the healthcare policy analyst.
Examiner: So you helped write Price’s healthcare reform plan?
Murry: Yes, I did. He originally introduced it in 2009 as an alternative to what the Democrats were proposing for Obamacare at that time. When the House had their version, he put his forward as well.
Examiner: What do you enjoy about health policy?
Murry: It was something I knew I was interested in doing. My family is involved in the healthcare world on the insurance side from an agent-broker-dealer perspective, so I was interested in that component of healthcare. It’s so many layers when you get into it, and you realize how the different pieces are connected. It’s sort of this puzzle you’re always trying to solve in many ways, and it’s so dynamic.
Examiner: Tell me more about your family’s involvement in healthcare.
Murry: My father is a small business owner — his company specializes in employee benefits, including medical insurance. Growing up, we talked a lot about politics and how government policies impacted his ability as an insurance agent to help individuals, families and companies find coverage that worked for their distinct needs. When Obamacare was being pursued, I knew at a very personal level what the impact would be on both him and his clients.
Examiner: Where do you live? Family?
Murry: I live on Capitol Hill. My daughter, Madeline, is 16 months old and my husband is Rodger Murry — we met on the Hill 10 years ago when we were working for California members on the opposite sides of the aisle.
Examiner: So you have a rare, bipartisan marriage. How does that work?
Murry: I think we agree on the areas that matter the most to each of us; he does pro-trade lobbying now and I’m obviously pro-trade as well, so in that area it’s fine. We definitely discuss issues we disagree on, but we can agree to disagree. Since he doesn’t do healthcare policy, he can sort of listen. He’s not as much in the weeds as I am.
I think from his time working for a new Democrat who was more pro-business, there are a lot of things we connect on. We agree on foreign policy, we agree on trade issues, so I think some of those pieces are where we would have agreement. He’s not of the far left wing of the Democratic Party and so he understands there’s an appropriate role of the private sector.
Examiner: Did you argue over the candidates during the presidential election?
Murry: I think it was something we left it as agree to disagree because we weren’t moving either one in the other direction.
Examiner: What do you guys connect on outside of politics and policy?
Murry: We share the same religious views. We are both very active, sports people. We enjoy running. He played basketball, I played volleyball and we’re very active together.
Examiner: So now that Obamacare repeal is on the table, there are lots of approaches Republicans could take. Is there anything they’re agreed on at this point?
Murry: I think what we’re wanting to do is make sure we’re also taking our cues and working with the Trump transition team as we determine what steps we take and in what order. As you’ve seen from the chairman’s comments, President-elect Trump’s comments, leadership’s comments, we are working toward a plan to have a replace vote next year, the details of which I don’t think we can say with 100 percent certainty and the timing of which we can’t say with 100 percent certainty.
Examiner: Can you at least say whether Republicans will try to replace the healthcare law using budget reconciliation rules, requiring just 51 Senate votes, or through regular order, which would require cooperation from Senate Democrats?
Murry: I think it’s probably too soon to comment on how exactly that would play out. I think there might be some areas of bipartisan agreement, but what is possible and how that is packaged isn’t yet known.
Examiner: What are the other healthcare policies you’re working on right now?
Murry: After we were able to repeal and replace the [Sustainable Growth Rate formula], this has really cleared time for the committees in a more thoughtful manner to start working on more targeted reforms to Medicare — are there more things we can do to the hospital and post-acute care cases. We’re going to continue looking at common sense Medicare reforms to ensure Medicare remains solvent for seniors. Eventually our goal is to work toward premium support, so I think we’re going to continue to do that, along with the work of repealing and replacing Obamacare.
Examiner: How late did you stay up to watch the election returns? What was it like the next day as you realized Republicans could finally repeal the Affordable Care Act?
Murry: I fell asleep around 1:30 a.m., not on purpose, on the couch. The way the Senate, the House and the presidency was trending was all unbelievable at the time and very exciting. And then when I woke up the next day and it was real, it was sort of retraining your thinking based on how we’ve been operating. I’ve been here since the law was enacted and trying to think about all the possibilities and opportunities we will have at the Ways and Means Committee under Chairman [Rep. Kevin] Brady’s leadership in working to find the solution.
Examiner: How much will House Speaker Paul Ryan’s healthcare plan influence a replacement policy?
Murry: I think part of me was thrilled we had done so much work on “A Better Way” agenda already last year because that really, in a real way, made us start working through the policy details and working with the other committees to find what would be our replacement proposal.
