Summit on State Strategies and Tactics to Lower Rx Prices
Friday, August 17th
8:30am – 12:00pm
View or download the agenda for this summit.
Open only to state officials, this half-day summit provides a unique opportunity for state officials to examine what they can do to lower drug prices, the challenges these initiatives face, and strategies to overcome them. The agenda is designed for and by state officials to help state legislators and staff, governors’ staff, state employee health benefit administrators, Medicaid, attorneys general staff, and other state officials share their experiences. During the summit, officials will:
- Provide an overview of what states are doing to address the rising cost of prescription drugs, and
- Discuss the pharmaceutical industry’s response, and how to manage the lobbying and legal counter-efforts by pharma and other opponents.
This summit is made possible with support from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation
This event is open only to state officials.
Moderator
Richard N. Gottfried, Chair, New York State Assembly Committee on Health
Richard N. Gottfried has chaired the NY State Assembly Health Committee since 1987 and represents a district in Manhattan. He works to expand publicly funded health coverage; protect patient autonomy, especially in reproductive and end-of-life care; and support safety-net health care providers. He sponsors the “New York Health” bill to create a state single-payer universal health plan and sponsored NY’s medical marijuana law. He’s a lawyer (Columbia, JD ’73) but does not have a private practice. Member of NY Academy of Medicine, National Academy for State Health Policy, Reforming States Group, NYC Bar Association, and NY Civil Liberties Union.
Speakers
Julie Kotchevar, Administrator of the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, State of Nevada
Dr. Kotchevar has served in the Nevada state system as an Executive Branch Auditor, the Clinical Program Manager of Nevada Early Intervention Services, and as the Deputy Administrator of Aging and Disability Services Division before joining the Director’s Office as the Deputy Director.
Dr. Kotchevar has recently completed her Doctorate in Health Policy Planning and Analysis, has a Master’s degree in Organizational Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education.
Terry Cothran is currently the Director at Pharmacy Management Consultants (a division of the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy) with 27 years of pharmacy experience and 24 years of that in management. He was previously the Operations Manager in other departments, such as Medication Therapy Management, Consulting Pharmacy, and Prior Authorization in a large Pharmacy Benefit Management environment. Prior to that, he was the Operations Manager in Specialty Pharmacy, the Regional Manager of Store Operations in a retail chain, and manager in the independent pharmacy environment.
Virginia Lyons, Vermont Senator, Vermont State Senate

Amir Bassiri, Senior Policy Advisor for Health, Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Trevor Douglass, Oregon Prescription Drug Program & Pharmacy Purchasing Director, Oregon Health Authority

He has also completed a Bachelor of Science in human biology, post-graduate training in sports medicine, and most recently, obtained a masters degree in public health from OHSU, with a focus on primary health care and health disparities.
Over the last 8 years, Trevor has focused on all things Medicaid; tackling a broad array of policy & program areas that which included the Medicaid Pharmacy Program. Trevor’s deep understanding of the Medicaid arena and, in particular, the pharmacy arena coupled with his ability to develop meaningful collaborative relationships, positions OHA and the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium well. He looks forward to forging strong, collaborative relationships across the Nation, the State, and with consortium partners.
Jim Jones, Partner, Ten2Eleven Business Solutions, LLC
Jim Jones is CFO and founding partner at Sacramento, CA based Ten2Eleven Business Solutions, LLC. Since starting the company in 2004, Jim and his team have helped numerous public and private sector clients solve unique technology challenges, with emphasis in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Jim’s involvement in system design and architecture has provided on the ground opportunities to learn and understand operational strategies in areas including product pricing and rebates, inventory administration, and contract management for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies alike.
Beyond custom solution development, Jim has significant experience in data analytics and reporting, having previously supervised teams of analysts responsible for financial and market analysis at LexisNexis and Waste Connections. Jim attended California State University, Sacramento.
David Seltz, Executive Director, Massachusetts Health Policy Commission

Dr. Norman Thurston, Representative, Utah State Legislature
Director, Office of Health Care Statistics, Utah Department of Health

Before joining the state, Dr. Thurston worked for eight years as an assistant professor of economics at Brigham Young University.
In 2014, Dr. Thurston was elected to the Utah House of Representatives.
Daniel Tsai, Assistant Secretary and Director of MassHealth
Daniel Tsai is the Assistant Secretary for MassHealth and Medicaid Director for the Commonwealth. Tsai was appointed in January 2015 by Governor Charlie Baker to oversee the state’s $15 billion Medicaid program, which covers one in four residents in the Commonwealth. In his role, Tsai is responsible for ensuring a robust and sustainable MassHealth program. That includes developing new policies, payment models, and operational processes that improve the way health care is delivered to 1.8 million low-and moderate-income individuals and individuals with disabilities. Before joining HHS, Tsai was a Partner and leader in McKinsey & Company’s Healthcare Systems and Services practice. He has significant experience on design and implementation of innovative, state-wide health care payment systems for Medicaid, Medicare and Commercial populations, and has worked closely with multiple state Medicaid programs, private payers, and health services companies. He received a Bachelor of Arts in applied mathematics and economics from Harvard University. Assistant Secretary Tsai and his wife live in Cambridge. He volunteers at a local community health center in Boston’s South End.
Joshua Wojcik, Assistant Comptroller, Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller

Jane Horvath, Consultant, Horvath Health Policy

Jane most recently worked as a Senior Policy Fellow at NASHP leading their Center for State Drug Pricing. She continues to work with NASHP and states. Prior to NASHP, Jane most recently worked in the private sector as a consultant to the life sciences industry, foundations, and advocacy organizations. She has held research positions at Johns Hopkins University and MACPAC. Jane spent ten years at Merck working on coverage and reimbursement policies in federal programs. She has worked for the Medicaid Directors, the US Senate Finance Committee, and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation (Health) at the US Department of Health and Human Services.