Panel 2 – Stakeholder Insights: Navigating the Future of Health Policy

David Merritt is senior vice president of external affairs for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of independent, community-based, and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies. Today, one in three Americans is covered by the Blue System. With 20 years’ experience in high-profile health care leadership positions and a proven track record in politics, policy and press, Merritt leads BCBSA’s, legislative, regulatory, and political initiatives, coordinating efforts with BCBS companies and industry partners to represent the Blue System before Congress, the Administration, and associations of state regulators. He also oversees BCBSA’s communications efforts to drive education and awareness of the Association’s mission, impact, and priorities. Washingtonian named him as one of Washington, D.C.’s 500 Most Influential People in 2024 & 2025, and The Hill recognized him as one of the top lobbyists on Capitol Hill in 2023 and 2024. Before joining the Association, he served as executive vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), where he led AHIP’s most important and impactful advocacy campaigns, from nationwide advertising and constituent mobilization efforts to the first organizational rebrand in nearly 20 years. Previously, he led political strategy and messaging research for Frank Luntz, one of America’s best known and most respected public opinion and communication strategists. He also served former HHS Secretary and Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, leading Leavitt Partners’ Washington, D.C., office, and worked closely with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for seven years, including as CEO of the Center for Health Transformation. He has also advised three presidential campaigns.

Tanisha provides strategic counsel to healthcare organizations on a variety of issues spanning public affairs, organizational design, issue management, and stakeholder engagement. She joined Brunswick with over 20 years of experience in various leadership roles across government, private, and non-profit sectors. Tanisha served as the inaugural Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Alexion, Executive Director of FasterCures/Milken Institute, led U.S. public policy initiatives at GlaxoSmithKline, and headed life sciences strategic advisory services at Avalere Health. Tanisha began her career as an HIV caseworker in Atlanta and later worked as a policy researcher in the Medicare program. She is a Fulbright Fellow and has served as a Visiting Fellow at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Tanisha earned her Ph.D. in health policy from Johns Hopkins University and is currently associate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Additionally, she is a Visiting Fellow at the Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center and serves on the board of the non-profits, One Mind and Every Cure.

Randall “Randy” Rutta is a senior health care executive dedicated to policy-to-practice solutions that interpret, influence, and improve federal and state health care policies to enhance public and private sector health care innovation, outcomes, and efficiency. Rutta joined the National Health Council (NHC) in February 2021 as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Rutta leads the NHC, as it enters its second century, with the goal of affecting change across the entire health system and promote increased access to affordable, high-value, sustainable health care. The NHC brings diverse organizations together to forge consensus and drive patient-centered health policy, and Rutta inspires the NHC staff to implement a Board-driven strategic plan and public policy and advocacy efforts. Prior to joining the NHC, Rutta was the President & CEO of the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association (AARDA), a national organization dedicated to addressing the problem of autoimmunity, the major cause of more than 100 serious chronic diseases. AARDA initiated and hosts the 40-member National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups and is a longtime member of the NHC. Prior to his role as President & CEO, he served as AARDA’s Federal Policy Consultant since March 2018. Rutta served as Principal at ConnectHealth, LLC a Washington, DC-based consulting services company that he established in 2017 to provide strategic insight and support in achieving objectives across the health care eco-system. In 2017, Rutta transitioned from the position of President and CEO at Easterseals, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to the health, well-being, and success of people with disabilities, veterans, seniors, and families. For most of his 36 years at Easterseals, he was located in Washington, DC, at the organization’s Office of Public Affairs, overseeing federal and state legislative and regulatory activities, federal grant development, and international knowledge exchange. His career experience has been in acute care, health care quality assurance, and health policy development and implementation.

Debbie Witchey began her tenure as the President and CEO of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) in 2024. ABHW member companies provide coverage to 200 million people in both the public and private sectors to treat mental health, substance use disorders, and other behaviors that impact health and wellness. Previously, Debbie served for more than 20 years as the executive vice president & chief operating officer of the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), an alliance of leading health industry CEOs representing all sectors of health care. As HLC’s chief government affairs officer, she led multiple coalitions that successfully advocated for the passage of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the CARES Act, and other health care legislation. She also built an award-winning community health program for a hospital system in Charleston, SC, and served as deputy assistant secretary and assistant secretary for management (acting) at the US Treasury Department in both a Republican and Democrat administration. Debbie has a master’s in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Duke University. She serves on the board of a women’s service organization in McLean, VA. She is also a member of the Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation and the URAC Health Standards Committee. In addition, she fosters dogs for Lab Rescue.