Morrisey
CHARLESTON – A Republican attorney from the eastern Panhandle has filed to run for West Virginia Attorney General against Darrell McGraw.
Patrick Morrisey, who lives in Harpers Ferry, filed to run against McGraw on Saturday, the final day candidates could join the race. As of 8 p.m., neither of them had any opposition in their respective primaries.
The primary election is May 8, and the general election is Nov. 6.
State Republican Party Chairman Mike Stuart praised Morrisey.
"Patrick Morrisey is a deeply experienced attorney who will join West Virginia with nearly 30 other states in challenging Obamacare," Stuart said. "He will immediately bring instant respect to an important office that has faded because of cronyism and malaise.
"Darrell McGraw's reign of deceit and decades-long embarrassment to West Virginia has resulted in West Virginia being viewed as one of the least friendly states for business in the nation."
Morrisey is a partner in Washington, D.C. office of global law firm of King & Spalding. When he joined the firm in 2010, he was touted as a lawyer with "extensive experience in health care regulatory, reimbursement, policy, legislative, strategic counseling and pricing matters for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and health care providers and plans."
"Patrick's arrival simultaneously adds depth to both our regulatory and legislative practices and provides us with an unsurpassed opportunity to counsel clients on the intricacies of the new health care reform law," Edward M. Basile, co-leader of King & Spalding's FDA/life sciences practice, said at the time. "As one of the leading experts in the country on healthcare reform, Medicare and Medicaid issues, Patrick's ability to synthesize and navigate through new regulatory regimes will enhance our clients' ability to make key adjustments to their business models and minimize their liability risks."
Morrisey previously worked at Sidley Austin. He is viewed as an authority on Medicare, Medicaid and FDA regulatory issues, especially those involving pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, plans and providers. He has successfully represented clients before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Congress on precedent-setting matters pertaining to coding, coverage and payment of Medicare-related items and services.
Morrisey focuses a large part of his practice on providing companies with regulatory and legislative analysis and strategic counseling on health care reform, Medicare Part D, the "average sales price" law, Medicare Part B, government price controls, manufacturer-distributor relationships, provider reimbursement and compliance matters, the interrelationship between FDA policies and Medicare reimbursement, and pharmaceutical price-reporting laws. He also handles congressional oversight investigations for clients and manages significant matters involving pharmaceutical and device pricing and compliance issues before the HHS Office of Inspector General and other governmental entities.
He also formerly served as deputy staff director and chief health counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare, Medicaid, FDA, health care insurance and public health. In those roles, he was a principal staff author and negotiator of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 and helped author bioterrorism and public health legislation, including far-reaching changes to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. He also was the committee's lead negotiator on healthcare matters involving the White House, HHS, CMS, FDA, the Ways and Means Committee and the Senate.
Morrisey received a J.D. degree from Rutgers School of Law--Newark and a B.A. degree, with honors, from Rutgers College.
Also on Saturday, Supreme Court attorney Louis Palmer joined the field of Democratic candidates for the state Supreme Court of Appeals. He joins fellow Democrats – current Justice Robin Jean Davis, circuit judges J.D. Beane and Jim Rowe and Charleston attorney Letitia "Tish" Chafin – in the primary race for two spots on the bench. Circuit Judge John Yoder and current Supreme Court law clerk Allen Loughry are running on the Republican side.