Lawrence (Larry) A. LaMotte, is a representative from the California Chronic Care Coalition as well as the owner and principal consultant at Advocacy Options. He is a seasoned and successful advocate and businessman who has been involved in health care policy issues for over 30 years. As a twelve-year elected member of the House of Delegates of Maryland , Larry chaired the subcommittee on health and environment of the Environmental Matters Committee (now Health and Government Operations committee) for eight years. Virtually every piece of health care policy legislation that went before his committee and contains his “fingerprints”.
Even while working in a non-health field, LaMotte maintained involvement with health care and health policy issues serving as a board member for a MedStar Health System hospital in Baltimore and the board of a community health provider. He later joined the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) as Vice President of Public Policy. He was responsible for all advocacy and public matters that might create obstacles to patient access to care, including Federal and State legislation, regulatory oversight of rule-making and private and public health insurance policy guidelines.
Under LaMotte’s advocacy leadership, the Medicare IVIG Access Act, which established a demonstration project allowing Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) home infusions, was passed and signed into law by the President as a stand-alone Medicare bill in 2012. It was the first time that Congress had mandated a program for Medicare’s demonstration project protocol. In 2017, that act was extended by Congress. Larry was also a leader in passing legislation in 2018 that corrected an unintended consequence of the 21st Century Cures law that was passed in 2016.
His success has not been limited to Federal activities. In 2010 LaMotte led the successful effort to have newborn screening for babies with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID – also known as “bubble-boy disease”) in all 50 states and territories. After an eight-year campaign, every state in the union is now screening every newborn baby for SCID saving the lives of hundreds of babies every year in the US.
He also organized and successfully led the American Plasma Users Coalition which advocated for blood and plasma safety for people who need plasma treatment. Larry also coordinated the Patients for Biologics Safety and Access coalition which provided a voice for its 22 national patient organization members in the FDA’s development of the new biosimilars pathway to market. He has participated in the leadership of two other coalitions in Nevada and Iowa on decreasing out-of-pocket costs.
Larry has advocated successfully on behalf of patients for better payer policies that reflect appropriate standards of medical care for people with rare diseases.
