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From Drew Altman

Drew Altman is president and chief executive officer of KFF, a position he has held for more than 30 years since founding the modern-day KFF organization in the 1990s. He is a leading expert on national health policy issues and an innovator in health journalism and the nonprofit field.

View full bio | Read Dr. Altman's Beyond the Data columns

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President’s Message

“KFF is an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. We have four major program areas: KFF Policy; KFF Polling; KFF Health News (formerly Kaiser Health News); and KFF Social Impact Media, which conducts specialized public health information campaigns. Learn more about the organization. 

What’s unique about KFF, however, can’t be found in any description of our programs because we’re more than a sum of our parts. KFF is a one-of-a-kind information organization. Not a policy research organization. Not a polling organization. And not a news organization. But rather, a unique combination of all three. That’s the vision behind KFF, and it's this combination that allows us to leverage our combined expertise and assets to play our national role on health policy.” Read more

Beyond the Data

In his “Beyond the Data” columns, Drew Altman discusses what the data, polls, and journalism produced by KFF mean for policy and for people.

BTD Health Policy in 2026

Health Policy in 2026

In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman forecasts eight things to look for in health policy in 2026. “First and foremost,” he writes, “is the role health care affordability will play in the midterms.” And, he notes: “The average cost of a family policy for employers could approach $30,000 and cost sharing and deductibles will rise again after plateauing for several years.”

View All Beyond the Data Columns

View the Latest: From Drew Altman

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  • Drugs Aren’t the Reason the U.S. Spends So Much on Health Care

    From Drew Altman

    Drew Altman’s column in Axios: the U.S. now spends twice per capita what other wealthy countries do on health care. But while drug costs get all the time in public debate, it's hospital and outpatient spending that mostly explains the difference. And that will be impossible to take on without real pain and political risk, he says.

  • Biden vs Trump on Health With Swing Voters

    From Drew Altman

    Drawing on newly released KFF/Cook Political Report polling in key Sun Belt states, Drew Altman discusses how the 2020 election is more about President Trump but issues do matter. He says that swing voters in Florida, Arizona and North Carolina prefer Joe Biden over President Trump on more issues including health care and the coronavirus, but President Trump has the edge on their top issue, the economy. 

  • Understanding the US Failure on Coronavirus

    From Drew Altman

    For The BMJ, Drew Altman discusses two fundamental policy decisions made by the Trump administration that set the U.S. on the controversial and highly criticized course it has taken on COVID-19.

  • Pharmacies, Not the Military, Will Handle COVID-19 Vaccinations

    From Drew Altman

    President Trump has conjured up the image of a top general and the military delivering the coronavirus vaccine drawing on their vast logistical experience. In his latest Axios column, Drew Altman explains why vaccine realities will dictate that it’s much more likely to be at your local Walgreens or CVS pharmacy.

  • The Pandemic is Boosting the Public’s View of Doctors

    From Drew Altman

    In this Axios column, Drew Altman looks at how the heroic performance of the nation's doctors on the frontlines of coronavirus care and effective communication by many physician scientists on television, is shifting the public's views, with twice as many Americans now saying doctors put people ahead of profits than they did in earlier KFF polling.

  • Hotspot States See More COVID Cases in Nursing Homes

    From Drew Altman

    In his Axios column, Drew Altman discusses new data on the surge of new infections in long-term care facilities in COVID-19 hotspots. The dominant narrative about the Sunbelt surge in new cases is that the infected population is younger, but he says that’s not the whole story.

  • Hotspot States See More COVID Cases in Nursing Homes

    From Drew Altman

    In his Axios column, Drew Altman discusses new data on the surge of new infections in long-term care facilities in COVID-19 hotspots. The dominant narrative about the Sunbelt surge in new cases is that the infected population is younger, but he says that’s not the whole story. There is also a spike in cases in long-term care facilities, especially in Florida and Texas.

  • The Front-line Workers Most at Risk from Coronavirus

    From Drew Altman

    As state and local governments ease social distancing orders, many employers and workers face decisions about a physical return to the workplace. Drew Altman’s latest Axios column analyzes the numbers and finds that, “An estimated 25-30 million people are caught in the middle of the coronavirus economy — they’re unable to work from home but also face a high risk of severe infection.”