Prior to joining the firm, Hayes served as Health Policy Director and Chief Health Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee for Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA).
In this role, he was responsible for leading the policy development, political strategy and legislative drafting for health care issues and negotiating with the White House, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the House of Representatives.
Most significantly, Hayes served as principal negotiator for the “Group of Six” health care reform negotiations which led to the key coverage, delivery system and financing provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was signed into law on March 23, 2010.
He also served as principal negotiator for the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 and the Medicare Improvements of the Patients and Providers Act of 2008. In 2003, as Health Policy Advisor to the Chairman, Hayes was the principal staff person on the majority committee staff for the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage elements of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, which was signed into law on December 8, 2003.
Hayes is a pharmacist and a lawyer having earned his pharmacy degree at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and his J.D. from the Washington College of Law at American University. In addition to his experience on the Hill, Hayes has also held the position of Assistant Director for Federal Government Affairs for Hoffman-La Roche. Hayes also worked for former U.S. Senator Jack Danforth as Vice President of St. Louis 2004, a non-profit organization dedicated to reviving the St. Louis region.
Nancy E. Taylor, co-chair of Health and FDA Business Practice was quoted as saying: “We are pleased to welcome Mark to our Washington D.C. office and the firm’s Health & FDA Business Practice. Mark’s vast experience in health care legislation and his knowledge of the crucial health care issues that affect our clients on a daily basis will make him an important asset to our team and clients as they address the regulatory requirements of the new health care law. We look forward to the contributions we know he will make.”
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, full-service law firm with approximately 1,800 attorneys serving clients from more than 30 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.