People in the news

Lauren Aronson

Professional Staff Member, House Ways and Means Committee (Since June 2010)

Why She Matters

A rising star in then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel's (D-Ill.) Hill office, Aronson was appointed as Nancy-Ann DeParle's deputy at the White House Office of Health Reform as the administration geared up for a huge health reform fracas.

Once the law passed, Aronson left for the House Ways and Means committee to work on Medicare Part D and Medicare Advatage, both of which were set for big changes under the new law.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Policy Director, White House Office of Health Reform (April 2009 to June 2010); Health Care Policy Working Group, Obama Transition Team (November 2008 to April 2009); Policy Advisor, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), (July 2005- 2008); Legislative Assistant, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) (April 2005 to July 2005); Legislative Analyst, Jennings Policy Stategies (2002 to April 2005); Research Analyst, Ginsberg Lahey, LLC (2001 to 2002)
Birthday: March 25, 1979
Hometown: Queens, N.Y.

Alma Mater: George Washington University, B.A. (political science), 2001
Spouse: Robert Hendin
Website

Path to Power

Aronson was born in the Bronx in 1979 and grew up in Queens, N.Y. She went to George Washington University, graduating with a bachelor's in political science in 2001.

"Whereas most staffers work on the Hill first and then jump to the consultant and lobbying world, Aronson went the other way," Politico reported in a profile of Aronson.

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After college, Aronson stayed in Washington to join Ginsberg Lahey, a Democratic consulting firm. She dug into Sen. Elizabeth Dole's (R-N.C.) record at the Red Cross and Department of Transportation as part of Erskine Bowles' (D-N.C.) unsuccessful 2002 run against her.

In 2003, she moved onto Jennings Policy Strategies, a health-care policy and lobbying firm run by Chris Jennings, a former senior health-care adviser to Bill Clinton. Her main project at the firm, according to Jennings himself, involved working with "multiple stakeholders who had differential visions" as Congress added prescription drug coverage to Medicare. "Anyone who can survive me generally thrives up on the Hill," Jennings told Politico.

Indeed, after three years at Jennings, Aronson moved on to Capitol Hill in April 2005 to work for Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.). After only a few weeks at McCarthy's office, Aronson got an offer to work for Emanuel. She began working for him in July 2005. "Rahm is - you know Rahm's reputation - Rahm is the best coach you can have," Aronson told Politico. "You may have to do suicide drills at six in the morning, but you're a better staffer for it."

At the time, Emanuel served as the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, making Aronson the health policy staffer for the caucus. As a result, Aronson had to balance Emanuel's interests with those of the House Democratic leadership and with the interests of the chairmen of committees with jurisdiction over health care, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), then-chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee, and Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) then-chairman of the House Ways and Means committee.

During her time as Emanuel's health policy staffer, the committees wanted to pass a comprehensive health policy bill, including Medicare reform as well as an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 was divided at the request of the Senate, creating a bill focused only on expanding SCHIP: The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007.

President George W. Bush vetoed the bill in October 2007. He vetoed a revised version of the bill in December, saying it was not significantly different from the first bill. The Bush signed the SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 into law on December 29, 2007. Under the law SCHIP continued in essentially the same form until 2009, when newly-elected President Obama expanded SCHIP.

In November 2008, then-President-elect Obama asked Aronson's boss Emanuel to be his White House chief of staff. Aronson won a spot on Obama's transition team as a member of the health care policy working group led by former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).

Obama nominated Daschle to a dual role as Health and Human Services Secretary and head of the newly-created White House Office of Health Reform. Aronson looked poised for a plum role under Daschle.

But Daschle's nomination was derailed over tax problems, and his jobs were divided between Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius at HHS and former Clinton aide Nancy-Ann DeParle in the White House shop. Aronson became policy director under DeParle in April 2009.

Ways and Means

Once the law passed, Aronson decamped to the House Ways and Means Committee to work of issues related to Medicare.

The Issues

At Ways and Means, Aronson works on issues related to Medicare Advantage, a supplementary insurance offered to seniors through Meedicare, and on Medicare Part D, which offers prescription drug coverage to seniors.

2009-2010 Health Care Reform

As DeParle's aide, Aronson was at the forefront of the health-reform debate throughout 2009 and 2010. The White House shop weilded the adminstration's influence behind the scenes, pushing Congress to pass major legislation.

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After more than a year of legislative wrangling, the House passed the Senate version of health-care reform on March 21, 2010, clearing the way for the Senate to approve a package of amendments insisted on by the lower chamber with a simple majority (using a process known as reconciliation).

The $940 billion bill required most Americans to carry health insurance and required that insurance companies cover them, regardless of pre-existing conditions. It established a national insurance exchange allowing Americans to compare and purchase insurance plans. To pay for reforms, the bill increased taxes on well-off Medicare recipients and taxed premium insurance plans. By the end of the bill's 10-year roll-out, 32 million uninsured Americans would have health coverage and the deficit will be $138 billion lower, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

Grassroots Efforts

Aronson and Obama's health transition team began work on reform before Obama even took office.

On the day before Thanksgiving 2008, Aronson appeared in a minute-long video on Barack Obama's transition Web site, www.change.gov. She joined another member of the health policy working team, Dora Hughes, to ask users the question, "What worries you most about the healthcare system in our country?"

The question elicited more than 3,500 responses posted as comments on the Web site.The next week, Aronson appeared in a follow-up video, this time with Daschle, the health policy team leader."We want to keep this a very open process," Daschle said in the three-minute video.

Prevention

During the video, Aronson listed some of the most popular comments on the site, including requests to emphasize disease prevention instead of just treating illness. Aronson agreed that the issue "affects American companies and businesses because you have a healthier works force and people are not taking off time to be in the hospital or be sick at home."

Health Corps

Another commenter suggested setting up a national Health Corps similar to the Peace Corps. In the follow-up video, Aronson called it, "a fantastic idea," saying, "I think it's something we should definitely look into."

The Network

At the White House Office of Health Reform, Aronson reports to head Nancy-Ann Deparle.

In Washington, D.C., Aronson worked for Bill Clinton's former health policy adviser Chris Jennings, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), Rahm Emanuel, and Barack Obama's transition team.

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Additional Resources