Charles N. Kahn III

Charles Kahn

Charles N. ("Chip") Kahn III (born 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American health policy expert and former trade association executive. He served as president and chief executive officer of the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH)[1] from from 2001 until his retirement on December 31, 2025[2].Chip is currently a visiting senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI)[3], a senior visiting fellow at KFF[4], where he hosts the podcast KFF's Business of Health with Chip Kahn, and a nonresident senior scholar at the University of Southern California's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics[5].

Early life and education

Kahn was born and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kahn did his undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins University[4] and graduated with a master's of Public Health degree from Tulane University.[6]

Career

After graduating Kahn completed an administrative residency with the Teaching Hospital Department of the Association of American Medical Colleges. He then served as the director at the Office of Financial Management Education at the Association of University Programs in Health Administration.[7][8] He later served as a senior health policy advisor to former senator David Durenberger (R-MN) and as legislative assistant for health to then-senator Dan Quayle (R-IN).[9]

Political campaigning

Kahn's political campaign experience began as a high school student when he first met and worked for Newt Gingrich, then a Tulane University graduate student, and the Louisiana campaign director for the presidential campaign of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller (R-NY).[10]: 23  In 1969, Kahn served in what became the successful campaign for Maurice Edwin ("Moon") Landrieu, elected in 1970 as Mayor of New Orleans, and worked in Mayor Landrieu's Administration in 1975.[8][10]: 66  In 1974 and 1976, Kahn managed Gingrich's first two campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives.[10]: 41, 43 

Congressional support

From 1986 to 1993 and from 1995 to 1998, Kahn served the Health Subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee, first as Minority Health Counsel and then as Staff Director. During this time he helped develop legislation such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.[9] From 1993 to 1995 and from 1998 to 2001, Kahn held positions with the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer/President-Designate and President.[11][12]

Health reform debates

During the Obama Administration's 2009–2010 health reform initiative, Kahn, as President and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, worked with leaders of the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States in creating a hospital industry agreement with congressional leaders and the administration. The agreement played a role in the passage and enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (42 USC 18001).[13] During the Clinton administration's 1993–1994 health reform initiative, Kahn was responsible for the Health Insurance Association of America’s "Harry and Louise" $14–20 million advertising/public affairs campaign, which influenced the national debate by opposing President Clinton’s healthcare proposal.[14]

Retirement and later career

In June 2025, Kahn announced that he would retire as FAH president and CEO effective December 31, 2025, after leading the organization for 24 years. He was succeeded by Charlene MacDonald, who had led the FAH's lobbying and public affairs operations and became CEO on January 1, 2026.[15]

In 2026, Kahn joined the American Enterprise Institute as a visiting senior fellow, where his work focuses on health care policy and payment reform. He concurrently serves as a senior visiting fellow at KFF, where he hosts the podcast KFF's Business of Health with Chip Kahn, and as a nonresident senior scholar at the University of Southern California's Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. He is a founding member and co-chair of the Future of Health, an international collaborative of senior health care leaders.

Kahn has served as an adjunct professor of health policy and management at Tulane University since 2021, and has taught health policy at Johns Hopkins University, Tulane University, and George Washington University.[16][17] His writing on health policy and performance measurement has appeared in journals including Health Affairs and NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery.[16][18]

While at FAH, Kahn served as the co-chair on the strategy-setting Coordinating Committee of the NQF's Measure Applications Partnership,[19] which was established under the Affordable Care Act to advise the federal Department of Health and Human Services on selecting measures for public reporting and performance-based healthcare payment programs. Additionally, he served as a member of the Governing Board of the National Quality Forum (NQF), where he helped build consensus on national priorities for healthcare quality reform and the standards for measuring and reporting on quality.[19]

Kahn also was a founding principal of the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA), a private–public partnership that he helped to initiate.[20] The HQA is a national private–public collaboration focused on improving hospital quality and making comparative quality information available to the public through the Hospital Compare website.

Recognition

Kahn appeared on Modern Healthcare's annual "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" list every year since 2022[21]. The Hill newspaper listed Kahn as "one of Washington, D.C.’s top lobbyists" for 16 consecutive years.[22]

He received Tulane University's Champion of Public Health Award in 2001, the B'nai B'rith National Healthcare Award in 2016.[23] and the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine "Outstanding Alumni Award" in 2019.[24]

References

  1. ↑ FAH Press Release. "Federation of American Hospitals Names Charles N. Kahn III As New President Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." May 25, 2001.
  2. ↑ Kahn, Chip (June 6, 2025). "After Nearly a Quarter Century of Leadership, Chip Kahn to Retire from the Federation of American Hospitals". FAH. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Charles N. Kahn III". American Enterprise Institute - AEI. Archived from the original on March 27, 2026. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Chip Kahn". KFF. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Charles N. Kahn III". USC Schaeffer. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Charles N. Kahn III". Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  7. ↑ Charles N. Kahn III’s Biography Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 The Washington Post. "WhoRunsGov.com."
  9. 1 2 Leading Authorities website. Biography of Charles N. ("Chip") Kahn Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 3 Steely, Mel, "The Gentleman from Georgia"( Mercer University Press) 2000.
  11. ↑ The Hotline. "Chip Kahn Heads Back To HIAA." December 10, 1997.
  12. ↑ The Washington Post. "Associations/Nonprofit." April 19, 1993
  13. ↑ Public Law 111-148, 111th Congress. March 23, 2010
  14. ↑ Goldsteen, Raymond L. et al., "Harry and Louise and Health Care Reform: Romancing Public Opinion," Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, Vol. 26, No. 6, December 2001, Duke University Press
  15. ↑ "Federation of American Hospitals names CEO to replace retiring veteran". Healthcare Dive. December 17, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Cite error: The named reference AEI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ↑ Cite error: The named reference USC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ↑ Cite error: The named reference KFF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. 1 2 NQF website
  20. ↑ FAH Press Release. "The Record/Hospital Quality Alliance/HQA Press Releases/quality_initiative_statement_121202.pdf Quality Measures Framework: An Important First Step." December 12, 2002
  21. ↑ "Modern 100 - Chip Kahn". www.modernhealthcare.com. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Chip Kahn - Federation of American Hospitals - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Cite error: The named reference USC2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ↑ "AUPHA Exchange," Fall, 2009 Association of University Programs in Health Administration Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine: 19
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