Maya Kaufman
Covering politics, policy and power in health care for POLITICO New York
Tips: mkaufman@politico.com or mayakaufman.11 on Signal
- In 2019, Mount Sinai said it gave the amount received from Epstein to an internal program and a charity "focused on preventing human trafficking and sexual exploitation." It still hasn't identified this charity — or confirmed how much Epstein gave in total. We tallied at least $250K...
- NEW: A look at how Jeffrey Epstein’s tremendous wealth and connections opened doors at a prestigious New York City hospital — from a 24/7 hotline for the "board and donor community" to house calls. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
- NEW: A look at how Jeffrey Epstein’s tremendous wealth and connections opened doors at a prestigious New York City hospital — from a 24/7 hotline for the "board and donor community" to house calls. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
- Tune in to WAMU's @the1a.org at 11am today to hear me discuss the @nynurses.bsky.social strike in New York City. the1a.org/segments/tho...
- NEWS: @mayor.nyc.gov names @alisterfmartin.bsky.social as the next commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Martin is an ER doctor known for spearheading a national campaign, "Vot-ER," to register patients to vote. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
- New from me today: An ongoing insurance dispute at Mount Sinai could leave thousands of striking nurses out-of-network for care at their own workplace, even after they have a new union contract in hand. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
- NEWS: @governor.ny.gov has extended her executive order temporarily loosening licensing rules for health care workers due to the @nynurses.bsky.social strike. It was set to expire tomorrow and now runs through Feb. 2. www.governor.ny.gov/executive-or...
- Well before nearly 15,000 nurses across NYC went on strike this week, tensions were already high. @nynurses.bsky.social discovered Mount Sinai had changed the locks to its on-site offices... Lots of new reporting in this one on the NYSNA nurses strike ⤵️ www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
- At the @nynurses.bsky.social picket line, @mayor.nyc.gov Zohran Mamdani said the strike raises the question of "who deserves to benefit" from the complicated and costly U.S. health care system. “There is no shortage of wealth in the health care industry," he said. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
- New York does not appear to have fined any health insurers for inaccurate provider directories since Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new regulation to “eliminate so-called ‘ghost networks,’" @maxblau.bsky.social reports.
- A new lawsuit alleges that an insurer’s ghost network hindered New York City employees from accessing the mental health care they sought — and harmed the reputation of psychiatrists wrongly listed as being in-network. My latest for @propublica.org: www.propublica.org/article/embl...
- BREAKING: @nynurses.bsky.social announces the start of the "largest nurse strike in New York City history," with nearly 15,000 nurses walking out this morning at Montefiore, New York-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai facilities.
- One individual briefed on the negotiations told POLITICO there has been so little back and forth on core economic issues, such as wages, that they believe a strike appears increasingly inevitable. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
- BREAKING: @nynurses.bsky.social announces full, tentative contract agreements with 4 safety-net hospitals where they previously rescinded strike notices. - Interfaith (part of One Brooklyn Health) - Kingsbrook Jewish (part of One Brooklyn Health) - Flushing Hospital - Maimonides
- NEWS: Nurses at 5 hospitals in New York City have called off a potential strike as they settle new @nynurses.bsky.social contracts. - Interfaith (part of One Brooklyn Health) - Kingsbrook Jewish (part of One Brooklyn Health) - Maimonides - Wyckoff Heights - Richmond University Medical Center
- The New York State Department of Health @nysdoh.bsky.social announces the state is experiencing the highest number of flu hospitalizations (4,546) recorded in a single week. That's 1,000 more flu hospitalizations than the prior week.
- Lots of Eric Adams political obits landing this week as his one term as NYC's mayor comes to an end. But you really should read this by my POLITICO colleague Joe Anuta. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
- Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign a bill expanding New York's legal protections for gender-affirming care providers and patients, @bradhoylmansigal.bsky.social tells POLITICO Pro. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
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- Reposted by Maya KaufmanRELEASE: NewsGuild journalists are sounding the alarm – media companies are undermining public trust with unethical AI in the newsroom. Today, we launch #NewsNotSlop, a national campaign kicking off a Week of Action on AI, December 1–5. newsguild.org/release-stan...
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- Gov. Hochul vetoed a @jamesskoufis.bsky.social @johnmcdonald108.bsky.social bill to require insurers to reimburse pharmacists for patient consultations on birth control, saying it would burden insurers with "significant" new costs and raise premiums. But NY's insurance lobby hadn't taken a stance.
- My colleagues in POLITICO's New York bureau worked hard to put together this important piece of accountability reporting — please make some time to read it.
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- The Trump admin wouldn't tell us who's being deployed to Indian Health Service facilities. But we discovered top leaders at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were sent on the 120-day stints — potentially disrupting programs targeting the opioid epidemic.
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- Help us continue this reporting! We're looking for more information on who else is being deployed to IHS. Tips are confidential. @altcdc.altgov.info
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- NEWS: The federal govt is sending NYC’s top disease control official to Arizona for a months-long stint at an Indian Health Service facility. That could complicate local infectious disease response efforts. “If we have an outbreak, then we’re fucked,” a city health department staffer told me.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul got the latest COVID vaccine at an independent pharmacy in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, highlighting her recent executive order authorizing pharmacists to administer it.
- New from me: The NY Attorney General’s Office is investigating politically influential law firm Abrams Fensterman over its debt collection practices for nursing homes. (The firm says there is “no fraud or illegality to investigate.”) www.politico.com/news/2025/09...
- BREAKING, from NY Playbook PM: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will sign an executive order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer Covid vaccines to New Yorkers who request them.
- While you’re here… if you’re in New York and you care about health care, please sign up for our free weekly newsletter! My colleagues and I at @politico.com work hard to help you keep tabs on the biggest health stories from New York City to Albany. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
- States are increasingly forging their own paths on public health, especially on vaccines. My colleague Katelyn and I keep asking NY's Health Department about their plans. (e.g., Will they ease access to the latest Covid shot?) We can't get a concrete answer, let alone an interview.
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- Big scoop by my colleague @jccoltin.bsky.social and a good reminder to sign up to get New York Playbook in your inbox — it’s free! www.politico.com/newsletters/...
- NEWS: @1199seiu.org voted today to endorse @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social for mayor.
- Per a new Health Affairs analysis, 20 New York hospitals lost obstetric services between 2010 and 2022, leaving 39.8% of hospitals statewide without obstetrics.
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- Reposted by Maya KaufmanBREAKING: Six leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and the health dept, charging that recent decisions limiting access to vaccines were unscientific and harmful to the public. (Gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/h...
- Show your support by signing our petition! 🙌🏻 actionnetwork.org/petitions/ai...
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- BREAKING: NYC Mayor Eric Adams will not move forward with Medicare Advantage for retired city workers, a contentious cost-cutting plan that has been in the works since 2021.
- NEWS via @politico.com: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is preparing to endorse the mayoral bid of his old nemesis, Andrew Cuomo. The two men met Monday to discuss the race, according to someone familiar with the outreach. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
