Drawing upon more than 20 years of experience in Congress and the health care sector, Steve Northrup steadily guides clients through the always changing legislative, regulatory and political environment. Steve uses his political savvy and keen legislative experience to craft sound public policy strategy and keep clients sharp. He also maintains ties to the House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance and HELP committees, and Senate Republican leadership.
Steve’s ingenuity was proven recently when he successfully helped a Podesta Group client regain its eligibility to participate in the TRICARE military health plan for service members and their families. While investigating the issue, Steve found that the hospital had been decertified because of a misreading of a federal regulation. He was able to work with government officials and the regional TRICARE contractor to restore the lost certification.
Steve has hands-on experience drafting and passing federal health care legislation. From 2003 through 2006, Steve was the health policy director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, serving as the top adviser on health care to Chairman Michael Enzi (R-WY) and managing a staff of nine people. In this position, Steve helped to write into law almost 20 health care bills, including legislation about health insurance reform, medical device user fees, bio-defense preparedness and electronic medical records. He also covered Medicare issues for Sen. Enzi, helping to draft and pass amendments to the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.
Prior to joining the Podesta Group, he served as Vice President of Federal Affairs at WellPoint, Inc., one of the nation’s leading health benefits companies. Before working in Congress, he was Executive Director of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, representing the entrepreneurial sector of the medical device industry. He was also director of government and community relations for the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois.
A modern mountain man (and a not-so-closet rock n’ roller in his spare time), Steve hails from the Berkshires in North Adams, Massachusetts. He has a bachelor's from Hamilton College and a Master’s of Public Administration from George Mason University.
