Maynard Nexsen Welcomes Veteran Insurance Government Relations Executive to Austin Office

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Pati McCandless joins the firm's Insurance Practice, bringing more than three decades of state and federal government relations experience in the insurance industry.

Maynard Nexsen, a full-service law firm with more than 600 attorneys in 30+ locations across the United States, is pleased to announce that Pati McCandless has joined the firm's Insurance Practice Group in its Austin office.

McCandless brings more than 30 years of experience in government relations, healthcare legislation, and insurance regulation. She joins Maynard Nexsen from Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, where she most recently served as Vice President of State Government Relations. In that role, she built HCSC's national state government relations organization, directing advocacy on commercial, government programs, and ancillary lines of business as the company grew from a regional to a multistate enterprise. She previously led the company's Texas Government Relations office as a member of the Plan President's Executive Leadership Team.

Over her career, McCandless has developed policy positions on issues ranging from ACA Section 1332 waivers and reinsurance programs to long-term care insolvency reform, and she is widely recognized as an expert on surprise balance billing. She served on a leadership team responsible for implementation of Texas's arbitration-based surprise billing law, SB 1264, and provided analysis during passage of the related federal No Surprises Act. She also played a key role in negotiating state law and regulations on focused rate review that secured billions of dollars in additional federal funding for Texans purchasing coverage on the health insurance exchange.

"Pati is one of the most respected government relations executives in the insurance industry, and her experience navigating healthcare policy at both the state and federal level is a tremendous asset to our clients," said Ted Holt, Chair of Maynard Nexsen's Insurance Practice Group. "She has spent her career helping insurers and managed care organizations understand and shape the legislative and regulatory landscape, and her arrival strengthens our ability to serve clients navigating an increasingly complex insurance regulatory environment in Texas and nationally."

McCandless has served on the boards of the Texas Association of Health Plans, including two terms as President, the Texas Association of Life & Health Insurers, and the Texas Association of Business, and has held gubernatorial and Texas Department of Insurance appointments to the Texas Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association and the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool. She has been named to Capitol Inside's lists of Top Law Firm Lobbyists and Top Corporate In-House Lobbyists, and is a frequent speaker at national industry forums, including AHIP's State Issues Retreat and the BCBSA State & Federal Relations Conference.

McCandless earned her J.D., cum laude, from New York Law School, where she graduated in the top 10% of her class, and her B.S. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She is admitted to practice in Texas and the District of Columbia.