Gregg Girvan

It’s not every day that a professional sportswriter ends up as a health care wonk. But perhaps it should happen more often.

After all, both sports and health care traffic in reams of statistics, data that can be both used — and misused — to assess the performance of individuals and groups. And that’s where FREOPP Resident Fellow Gregg Girvan comes in.

“In sports, I can calculate a player’s career statistics, which may seem impressive at first, but may simply be the product of a long career rather than outstanding performance,” Gregg says. “In the same way, if we’re not careful to provide context, data and statistics can lead to poor decisions and policy outcomes.”

Gregg grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, where he became the sports editor of the Independent Florida Alligator while double-majoring in political science and microbiology. He also covered University of Florida sports for the Tampa Tribune and the Palm Beach Post. “Despite being a UF student, my experience covering the Gators taught me the importance of putting my fandom aside and to report the facts without bias. It’s a lesson I have carried with me through my policy career, although — let’s face it — I’ve since allowed myself to bleed orange and blue again!”

After serving a mission in Berlin for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gregg began his transition into think tankery by obtaining a Master’s degree in public policy from Brigham Young University. He went on to serve in a number of health care policy roles at the Utah Office of Consumer Health Services, the Heritage Foundation, the Congressional Research Service, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Utah Office of Legislative Research & General Counsel, and the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission.

It was in these roles that Gregg reveled in his ability to delve into the unglamorous details of public policy work. For example, at his last stop before FREOPP, Gregg helped Texas save $465,000 a year by reducing wasteful spending in the state’s motorcycle safety program.

Gregg’s relationship to FREOPP’s mission is personal, because his family is no stranger to medical and financial difficulties. At one point, his children had to enroll in Medicaid, and the family often found it difficult to obtain the care they needed. “We had one provider in particular that dropped our Medicaid coverage without warning, which resulted in a disruption of care for our children when they needed it most. With Medicaid, you’re thinking you have coverage that’s ‘free,’ but nothing is free. There are always trade-offs.”

But the experience also highlighted for Gregg the importance and value in helping every American find affordable, high-quality health insurance. “Most of us can agree that health coverage for every American is a good thing. The real question is how we get there. Do we default to a one-size-fits-all system with little to no choice, or do we deliver universal coverage by harnessing personalized options and innovation and competition? I believe the latter gives us the best chance of success that’s sustainable — not just for my generation, but for my children’s generation and beyond.”

Gregg, who taught himself the R programming language, is FREOPP’s designated quant guy, the one who we most lean on for data-heavy research. “For the longest time, I felt alone in my view that we could achieve universal coverage and affordable health care through free markets. At FREOPP, I’ve found my home. And I’m proud that the research we produce here will help us achieve these goals.”

Gregg and Ashley live in the Austin suburbs with their three children, all of whom also bleed orange and blue.