Healthcare Leadership Council

What Healthcare Leadership Council does

Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) is a Washington, D.C.-based membership association founded in 1989 that serves as the exclusive cross-sectoral forum for CEOs and C-suite executives across all segments of the U.S. healthcare industry. The organization convenes leaders from biopharmaceutical, insurance, provider, health IT, medical device, supply chain, and private equity sectors to develop consensus-driven policy positions and engage directly with Congress, federal agencies, and the Administration. HLC is not a technology company; its core function is policy advocacy, peer-to-peer networking, and convening power, leveraging 35+ years of relationship capital with policymakers and industry leaders.

HLC operates a portfolio of nine affiliated coalitions targeting distinct healthcare policy issues, including the Confidentiality Coalition (privacy, AI, cybersecurity, interoperability), Medicare Today (Medicare beneficiary education since 2004), Seniors Speak Out, APlan2Age (aging preparation, launched 2024), Keep Americans Covered, Healthcare Workforce Coalition, Enrollment Coalition, Partnership for Chronic Disease, and Modern Medicaid Alliance. Its products and services consist of policy advocacy and congressional engagement events (Capitol Hill briefings, legislative lunches, site tours), research publications and policy briefs (including AI and cybersecurity reports with partners such as ZS, Manatt, and Avalere), comment letters to federal agencies, and exclusive in-person and virtual membership meetings. Notable policy achievements attributed to HLC's consensus-building include Medicare Part D, HIPAA privacy protections, value-based care advancement, and interoperability progress.

Revenue is generated through membership dues paid by enterprise healthcare companies on a recurring (annual) basis. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective member organizations contact HLC via email inquiries ([email protected]). The organization maintains a stated workforce of 51-100 employees (with nine named core staff including President and CEO Maria Ghazal, who joined in 2023) at its headquarters at 750 9th Street NW, Washington, D.C. Member organizations include Pfizer, UnitedHealth Group, Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, Amazon, Cigna, McKesson, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and other Fortune 500 healthcare firms.

Name

Healthcare Leadership Council

Legal name

Healthcare Leadership Council

Website

https://hlc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Healthcare Leadership Council is a Washington, D.C.-based membership association founded in 1989 that convenes CEOs across all segments of U.S. healthcare to develop consensus-driven policy positions and engage Congress on healthcare legislation and regulation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Industry Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies (HLAJACAF)

Keywords

• Healthcare policy advocacy
• Industry coalition
• Executive membership
• Policy research reports
• Congressional engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: HLC is a membership-based organization. The website indicates membership inquiries can be directed to [email protected], suggesting membership fees are the primary revenue stream. No specific membership pricing is publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) is a Washington, D.C.-based membership association that unites CEOs and C-suite executives from every sector of the U.S. healthcare industry for collective policy advocacy in Washington. It provides peer-to-peer executive networking, consensus-driven policy development, direct engagement with Congressional leaders and Administration officials, and thought leadership on healthcare issues, and oversees multiple issue-specific coalitions and initiatives.

Product overview

Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) is a healthcare industry association, not a technology product company. It offers a unified platform of advocacy programs and services including policy advocacy and congressional engagement, research publications (reports and policy briefs), advocacy documents (letters and comments), and manages 9 coalitions focused on specific healthcare issues (Confidentiality Coalition, Medicare Today, Seniors Speak Out, APLAN2AGE, Keep Americans Covered, Healthcare Workforce Coalition, Enrollment Coalition, Partnership for Chronic Disease, Modern Medicaid Alliance). The organization facilitates peer-to-peer networking and thought leadership through exclusive membership meetings and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Advocacy and Congressional Engagement Strategic engagement connecting healthcare industry CEOs and executives with lawmakers, providing direct advocacy channels, exclusive events, site tours, and policy roundtables to shape healthcare legislation and regulation. Targeted at member organizations from across all U.S. healthcare sectors.
• Membership Meetings and Events Exclusive in-person and virtual membership meetings, task force discussions, committee meetings, Legislative Lunches, and Coffee & Conversation events that connect HLC members with leading voices in healthcare policy.
• Healthcare Reports and Policy Briefs In-depth reports, policy briefs, and research publications highlighting key healthcare challenges and private-sector solutions across topics such as AI in healthcare, cybersecurity, Medicare Advantage, value-based care, and interoperability.
• Letters and Comments Policy comment letters submitted to federal agencies, congressional testimony, and coalition advocacy documents that translate industry expertise into actionable policy recommendations.
• Confidentiality Coalition A broad alliance overseen by HLC that brings together organizations committed to balancing protection of confidential health information with the need for efficient, interoperable healthcare systems, with focus areas in Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Interoperability.
• Medicare Today A trusted resource for Medicare beneficiaries providing information, education, and advocacy to help seniors understand and navigate Medicare options. Created and overseen by HLC.
• Seniors Speak Out

Quantifiable outcome

• Creation of Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• ZScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHLC partnered with management consulting and technology firm ZS to produce the report 'Unleashing AI's Potential for Patients: A Cross-Sectoral Roadmap for Healthcare.' This report reveals the risks of fragmented AI regulation in healthcare and provides nine practical policy recommendations. The partnership demonstrates HLC's cross-sectoral approach to addressing healthcare policy challenges.
• Confidentiality CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Confidentiality Coalition, overseen by HLC, is a broad alliance of organizations committed to balancing protection of confidential health information with the need for efficient, interoperable healthcare systems. Key focus areas include Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, and Interoperability.
• Medicare TodaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHLC created and oversees Medicare Today, launched in November 2004, a trusted resource for Medicare beneficiaries providing information, education, and advocacy to help seniors understand and navigate Medicare options.
• Seniors Speak OutsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative launched and administered by HLC through its Medicare Today program. Serves as a resource for older Americans, caregivers, and advocates, publishing weekly blogs and hosting webinars.
• APLAN2AGEsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative designed to help individuals and families proactively plan for aging challenges. Aims to spark planning conversations early in the aging journey and provide guidance to reduce crisis-driven decisions.
• Keep Americans CoveredsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition representing patients, consumers, doctors, hospitals, health insurers and employers, working together to keep healthcare affordable. HLC participates in preserving enhanced premium tax credits and affordability provisions.
• Healthcare Workforce CoalitionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective voice advocating for commonsense solutions to address severe staffing shortages in the nation's healthcare system. Unites stakeholders across the healthcare continuum to advocate for policies increasing nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals.
• Enrollment CoalitionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup of organizations across the healthcare community working to identify and advance actionable policy recommendations for improving enrollment of uninsured Americans under 65 into existing health coverage programs.
• Partnership for Chronic DiseasesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternationally-recognized organization of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of chronic disease as a leading cause of death, disability, and rising healthcare costs.
• Modern Medicaid AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Americans who value Medicaid and leading advocacy organizations, focused on educating policymakers and the public about Medicaid's benefits in cost savings, health outcomes, and social impact.
• Manatt, Phelps & PhillipssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored the Cybersecurity in Healthcare report with HLC and HLC's Confidentiality Coalition, proposing a collaborative public-private framework to safeguard the healthcare system.
• Avalere HealthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by HLC to analyze Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) payment models, evaluating performance of 18 models to reveal opportunities for improving patient outcomes and delivering savings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA): Larger, sector-specific healthcare trade association representing biopharmaceutical companies on federal policy. Many of PhRMA's member companies (Pfizer, J&J, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Amgen) are also HLC members, and PhRMA competes with HLC for attention and engagement on drug pricing and FDA issues.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The largest U.S. business federation, advocating broadly on policy including healthcare. HLC's healthcare-CEO forum model is a specialized adaptation of the Chamber's general CEO-membership advocacy concept, and both organizations compete for member attention and influence on Capitol Hill.
• AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association): Trade association for medical device manufacturers, with members such as Baxter and Johnson & Johnson's device franchises also in HLC. AdvaMed is a sector-incumbent peer on FDA and reimbursement advocacy, often competing with HLC for medtech executive attention.
• American Hospital Association (AHA): National association representing hospitals and health systems, including members like Mayo Clinic, Ascension, and Advocate Health who also belong to HLC. AHA is a sector-specific incumbent that competes for provider-member engagement on value-based care and workforce policy.
• AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans): National trade association representing health insurance companies. Insurers such as UnitedHealth Group and Cigna are members of both AHIP and HLC, making AHIP a sector-incumbent peer that competes for member mind-share and policy influence on coverage and reimbursement issues.

Direct peers

• Business Roundtable: Membership association of CEOs of major U.S. companies that, like HLC, convenes top executives to influence federal policy. HLC's CEO Maria Ghazal spent nearly two decades at Business Roundtable before joining HLC, and HLC's CEO-forum model directly mirrors Business Roundtable's structure.
• Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA): Healthcare supply chain trade association representing pharmaceutical distributors (members like McKesson and Cencora are also HLC members). HDA shares HLC's healthcare-policy-association operating model; HLC's Director of Communications Sara Karrakchou was most recently Associate Director of Digital Communications at HDA.
• Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA): Trade association representing pharmacy benefit managers. HLC's Head of Policy and Advocacy Angela Banks was most recently VP of Policy at PCMA, and PCMA competes with HLC for advocacy leadership on drug pricing and PBM regulation.
• Federation of American Hospitals: Trade association for investor-owned hospitals and health systems, structured similarly to HLC as a CEO-level healthcare advocacy organization. HLC's VP of Communications Sean Brown previously led public affairs at Federation of American Hospitals, and the two organizations operate in overlapping advocacy territory.

Others

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): Large U.S. trade association representing manufacturers across industries, with a comparable dues-funded, CEO-engaged advocacy structure. While not healthcare-specific, NAM shares HLC's membership-association revenue model and serves as a structural reference point for how industry coalitions monetize federal advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/healthinfocus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healthcare-leadership-council
• Facebookfacebook.com/155106672901

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Healthcare Leadership Council