NEW YORK, NY—October 21, 2021—United Hospital Fund announced today that it has selected Peter Newell, director of its Health Insurance Project, as the new Patricia S. Levinson Fellow.
Mr. Newell joined United Hospital Fund in 2007 after serving as the executive director of the New York State Assembly Committee on Insurance and as staff director for Assemblymember Pete Grannis. Earlier in his career, Mr. Newell directed the Assembly’s Committee on Housing. A former reporter and editor for weekly newspapers in Manhattan, he holds a BA in English from the University of Notre Dame.
As director of UHF’s Health Insurance Project, he conducts research and analysis that highlights barriers to insurance coverage, identifies ways to expand coverage, and helps shape solutions to policy and implementation challenges. The many reports he has authored include a widely disseminated 2020 consumer guide with practical advice on how to replace health coverage lost during the pandemic or find a new health plan, as well as a series of six briefs exploring key issues in New York's implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the establishment of the health benefit exchange for individuals and small groups.
Created in 2017 with the support of the Robert A. and Patricia S. Levinson Award Fund at the New York Community Trust, the fellowship aims to advance UHF’s work improving health for underserved populations in honor of one of its most dedicated and longest-serving board members, Patricia S. Levinson. Ms. Levinson was a vice chair of UHF’s board at the time of her death in 2015.
“Peter’s pivotal work is a fitting way to honor Patricia S. Levinson,” said Anthony Shih, UHF president. “His keen analysis has been critical to supporting universal, affordable, and comprehensive health insurance. We look forward to his further contributions in the year ahead.”
United Hospital Fund
United Hospital Fund works to build an effective and equitable health care system for every New Yorker. An independent, nonprofit organization, we are a force for improvement, analyzing public policy to inform decision-makers, finding common ground among diverse stakeholders, and developing and supporting innovative programs that improve health and health care. We work to dismantle barriers in health policy and health care delivery that prevent equitable opportunities for health. For more on our initiatives and programs, please visit our website at www.uhfnyc.org and follow us on Twitter.