John Kaelin

Fellow

John J. Kaelin has diverse executive-level experience in the health care industry spanning government, academia, U.S.-based health insurers, and health systems in the Middle East. He has held senior executive positions in three major health insurers (UnitedHealthcare, CareFirst, and currently Centene Corporation) and has worked closely with states and the federal government on the implementation of risk adjusted payments in publicly financed insurance programs, Medicaid financing, and state health reform initiatives. In addition, John has been focused on the intersection of health financing and public policy including extensive work with states on Medicaid and the coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In 2014, he spent the year living in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where he served as a special adviser to the government on the implementation of a mandatory health insurance system.

From 1998 to 2003, Kaelin served as the executive director of a health policy and research institute at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he supported the state of Maryland’s policy development for health finance and public health, as well as research for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Kaelin has held senior positions in New York State government in both the Budget Division and Health Department, where as director of Managed Care Financing, he led the team that developed the financing models for the state’s first Medicaid managed care waiver in 1997.

john.kaelin@rock.suny.edu

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Symposium on the Evaluation of ACA Marketplace Experience

January 22, 2024

Six key takeaways from our October 2023 conference, "Symposium on the Evaluation of ACA Marketplace Experience." Continue Reading...


Takeaways from the Rockefeller Institute’s Webinar on State Employee Health Insurance

April 19, 2021

This blog provides key takeaways from the Rockefeller Institute webinar, "The Future of State Employee Health Insurance Programs," held on March 4, 2021. Continue Reading...


State Employee Health Insurance: Assessing the Scale of State Purchasing Power

December 4, 2020

This policy brief examines the availability of basic financial and cost data relating to state employee insurance programs. Continue Reading...


Cost of Healthcare Driving the Policy Debate

March 25, 2019

Despite, or perhaps because of, the recent coverage expansion, unhappiness with healthcare costs is widespread, and it is identified as a key issue by a majority of voters in both major parties. Consumers are demanding accountability from their elected officials regarding healthcare costs. Continue Reading...


Video: Medicaid for More Forum at the Rockefeller Institute

February 28, 2019

The Rockefeller Institute of Government hosted "Medicaid for More?," a forum with the authors of Medicaid Buy-In: Questions of Purpose and Design and a panel of health and policy leaders on February 25 to discuss the details of Medicaid buy-in programs and other healthcare reform proposals. Continue Reading...


Medicaid Buy-In: Questions of Purpose and Design

October 17, 2018

As advocates of coverage expansion look for opportunities, it stands to reason that many see the Medicaid program as a possible platform. Here we describe and compare the major categories of current proposals in the states and Congress and discuss some of the logistical and policy considerations. Continue Reading...


The Affordable Care Act’s 1332 Waiver: An Avenue for Short-Run Adjustment, Innovative Change, or Political Acceptance?

January 19, 2018

This paper discusses the 1332 waiver — its origins, powers and limitations, and uses thus far — and how it may be used to address major challenges facing the ACA. Continue Reading...