David Abernethy, M.P.H.

David S. Abernethy is Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, of HIP Health Plans. He is responsible for all issues relating to Federal and State government relations for the health plans and for directing the company's Washington office. He was appointed to this position in January 1996.

Prior to joining HIP Mr. Abernethy worked from 1987 to 1996 for the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives in a variety of positions including Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Health. As such he was the Committee's principal staff person for Medicare and for health reform. He was particularly involved in the design of legislation concerning comprehensive health insurance, hospital payment policy, managed care, tax treatment of health care organizations, reorganization of rural health care and related topics.

Prior to joining the Committee on Ways and Means, Mr. Abernethy was Deputy Commissioner of Health for Planning, Policy, and Resource Development for the New York State Department of Health. In that capacity from 1982 through 1987, he directed the Department's planning and policy development division, developing a range of initiatives affecting long-term care financing, hospital reimbursement and capital investment, ambulatory surgery, primary care in underserved areas, maternal and child health, and preventive health services in the State of New York. Mr. Abernethy directed the State's health planning and development activities and coordinated the Department's federal affairs.

Mr. Abernethy is the author with David A. Pearson of Regulating Hospital Costs: The Development of Public Policy as well as a number of articles on health policy. He is the former President of the American Health Planning Association (AHPA) and a recipient of the Richard H. Schlesinger Achievement Award given by AHPA and the American Public Health Association (APHA). He is formerly a member of the Governing Council of APHA. He holds teaching positions in health policy at the School of Hygiene and Public Health of the Johns Hopkins University and the School of Public Health of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mr. Abernethy has also worked for the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the House Committee on Commerce (1977-1980) and as the Administrator of the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco (1974-1976). He holds a Master's degree in Public Health (Health Services Administration) from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claremont Men's College, cum laude in History.

Mr. Abernethy is married to Elizabeth Parker Lewis and has two children, Janie and Thomas.