MAHP Q&A With Sam Champagne
MAHP is proud to welcome Sam Champagne as deputy director of legislation and advocacy. Learn more about Sam in the Q&A below.
1. You’ve worked on nearly every side of health policy in Lansing — the Senate, the House Policy Office, and now as a lobbyist. How has that range of experience shaped how you approach your work?
I have learned early, and continue to exercise, a belief that relationships are key to getting compromise. When you spend a lot of time in Lansing, no matter where you sit, you learn that ongoing communication between stakeholders and lawmakers is the only way to successfully pass good policy. That communication is grounded in trust. Trust that you know your issue, that what you say is true, and that you are both seeking to achieve a common goal.
2. What drew you to health policy specifically, and what’s kept you in it for nearly two decades?
When you work on legislative staff, you gain exposure to many issue areas. I always liked working on health policy primarily because of the deep complexities of healthcare and the number of stakeholders involved. Some policy areas are simple; others are quite complicated. I consider healthcare one of the most complicated. It challenges your understanding of the system, how it operates, and why it’s evolving. After investing so much time in learning it, there is no going back!
3. What are you most looking forward to in this new role?
I am excited to engage our members on their individual policy pursuits and how as an industry we can collectively tackle some of the biggest regulatory and policy challenges facing MAHP. After spending eight years lobbying for a fully integrated health system, I am looking forward to diving deep on the payer side and advocating to improve healthcare in Michigan.
4. What do you see as the biggest legislative priorities for Michigan’s health plans right now?
Health policy has always been the center of the universe in politics, but I think that is truer now than ever before. With growing concerns around Medicaid spending, behavioral health, and increased costs, we need to demonstrate the value that health plans bring in both the commercial market and as managed care organizations.
5. Healthcare affordability is top of mind for MAHP. Where do you think the most meaningful progress can be made in the next legislative session?
Healthcare affordability is a universal debate that is not going away anytime soon. The MAHP is going to make meaningful progress in the new term by partnering with our lawmakers and fellow stakeholders to discuss WHY costs are increasing and where improvements can be made to put money back into patients’ pockets. This requires taking a hard look behind the curtain on healthcare spending such as labor, pharmaceuticals, device manufacturing, and supply chain.
6. What advice do you have for people just starting out in the Lansing policy scene?
My biggest advice to staff that are just getting started in the Lansing policy scene is to spend time meeting stakeholders. This may require you being proactive and reaching out for a coffee or lunch, but meet them, ask questions, and be teachable. You will learn so much about the policy you are working on if you spend time with the people that care about it. Find a mentor. Learn.
7. What’s something people might not know about you outside of work?
I enjoy a lot of interests and hobbies. One of them is raising a hobby farm with my wife and kids. Horses, goats, and chickens keep us busy. I love to share this passion with others!
8. Favorite spot to grab lunch or coffee near the Capitol?
I am often at Hob Nob for daily coffee meetings and like many, am a regular at Kelly’s.