Grace-Marie Turner, a nationally respected voice for free-market health policy and the founder and president of the Galen Institute, passed away peacefully on May 29, 2025.
A tireless advocate for patient-centered health reform, Grace-Marie dedicated her life to advancing ideas that put individuals—not bureaucracies—at the center of the health care system.
Through her writing, public speaking, and behind-the-scenes work in Washington and beyond, she shaped the national conversation on health policy for more than three decades.
In 1995, Grace-Marie founded the Galen Institute, a public policy research organization devoted to promoting free-market ideas for health reform. Under her leadership, the institute became a leading voice in advocating for patient-centered health care solutions, focusing on transferring decision-making power from government bureaucracies to individuals and their doctors.
Her expertise and thought leadership earned her widespread recognition. Washingtonian magazine consistently named her among “Washington’s 500 Most Influential People” in health policy, and Business Insider included her in its 2020 list of the 24 most powerful people advising the White House on health care. She was also a sought-after speaker, advisor, and commentator, contributing to prestigious publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. Her appearances on programs such as ABC’s 20/20 highlighted her ability to communicate complex policy issues in ways that resonated with broad audiences.
Grace-Marie grew up in Albuquerque and graduated from The University of New Mexico. She spent her early career as a news reporter, where she won numerous awards for her work and had the opportunity to interview Elvis Presley at the height of his career. She was also worked as a
radio correspondent, association director, presidential campaign adviser, and U.S. Senate press secretary.
Throughout her career, she worked closely with members of Congress, presidential administrations, and numerous state and national policy organizations. Yet she remained firmly committed to the principle that good policy begins with listening to the real needs of patients and families.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Grace-Marie was known for her kindness, generosity, and unfailing optimism. She mentored countless young professionals in the policy world and was a source of inspiration and encouragement to friends and colleagues across the ideological spectrum.
She is survived by her loving husband, Mark Noyes. She was predeceased by two brothers, Marvin and John.
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 11 from 6-8 pm at Colonial Funeral Home, 201 Edwards Ferry Road NE, Leesburg, VA.
A Catholic Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, 101 Oakcrest Manor Drive, Leesburg, VA on Thursday, June 12 at 10:00 am.
Grace-Marie Turner
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Grace-Marie founded the Galen Institute, a public policy research organization, in 1995 to promote an informed debate over free-market ideas for health reform. She has been instrumental in developing and promoting public policy ideas to transfer power over health care decisions to doctors and patients.
She writes extensively about incentives to promote a more competitive, patient-centered marketplace in the health sector and testifies regularly before Congress and advises senior government officials, governors, and state legislators on health policy. Grace-Marie has been named repeatedly as one of “Washington’s 500 Most Influential People” on health policy by Washingtonian magazine and by Business Insider in 2020 as one of the 24 most powerful people advising the White House on healthcare.
She is the founder and facilitator of the Health Policy Consensus Group which serves as a forum for analysts from market-oriented think tanks around the country to analyze and develop reform recommendations and was a leader in developing the Health Care Choices proposal. She writes a column for Forbes, has been published in hundreds of major newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today, and has appeared on ABC’s 20/20 and on countless radio and television programs.
She is the editor of “Empowering Health Care Consumers through Tax Reform,” peer-reviewed and published by the University of Michigan Press, and has authored and contributed to numerous other books and white papers. Grace-Marie speaks extensively in the U.S. and abroad, including Princeton and Harvard Universities, the London School of Economics, Oxford University, and the Gregorian University at the Vatican.
Grace-Marie also has served through presidential and congressional appointments on the National Advisory Board for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Long-Term Care Commission, and the Medicaid Commission. Her early career was in politics and journalism where she received numerous awards for her writings on policy, politics and economics.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Galen Institute at Donors to support ongoing programs in Grace-Marie’s name (https://client.mydonorstrust.org/grantee/achcontribution/choose).