Featured FAN: Michael Nachef

Each quarter, we feature a Federal Action Network (FAN) member leading the charge on Capitol Hill to protect essential hospitals.

Michael Nachef, chief of staff at association member Lee Health, in Fort Myers, Fla., discusses his proudest advocacy work and how his time working in the Florida Senate prepared him for his role in leading the health system’s government relations department. 

During your more than eight years at Lee Health, what advocacy effort are you most proud of?  

Updating Lee Health’s business structure from a government district to a community-focused nonprofit. This required changing state law, negotiating a mission agreement with our home county, and working with stakeholders of government at every level. The change enables Lee Health to work with more providers and better deliver care for our patients regionally.   

What’s unique about the context of Florida that makes your advocacy work different than that of someone in another state?  

Broad-based growth and higher Medicare population. 

What’s keeping you up at night from this Congress/administration, and what advocacy work are you engaging in to address that?  

Erroneous proposals to cut or significantly change Medicaid provider taxes. The hospital taxes in Florida are directly used to increase payments for Medicaid hospitals payments for indigent care. Hospitals traditionally receive very low reimbursement for Medicaid and charity care services. By marginally increasing this reimbursement, the taxes incentivize and support care for the medically underserved. Ensuring the resources exist for our clinicians to have what they need to provide exceptional care for our patients drives our work. 

How did your career path, particularly your time serving as a legislative assistant in the Florida Senate, prepare you for your current role?  

I’ve gained something important from every job I’ve ever had, including my time as staff in the Florida Senate. I learned how to really hear people and build consensus working at a young age in my family’s restaurant. My time as staff in the Florida Senate taught me how to translate needs into public policy. I worked for the president pro tem, a great friend, leader, and mentor named Garrett Richter. All of those learned skills translate to what I do today: managing complex issues, listening closely to learn what people really need, building consensus, and working with elected officials and staff to deliver for constituents. 

Can you speak to something that might not be on your resume that translates well into how you advocate for Lee Health? 

Being a husband and father of four keeps me humble and reminds me how to build consensus every day! Everyone must be heard when trying to decide what’s for dinner!