Politico hires Crain’s New York’s Kaufman to cover health care

Politico deputy managing editor Ryan Hutchins sent the following to the staff on Monday:

Good morning,

We are thrilled to announce Maya Kaufman as our next New York health care reporter. No beat has been more important in recent years than health care, and Maya has distinguished herself in New York for her coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the public and the health care industry.

Maya has covered health care for Crain’s New York Business since 2021 and co-wrote the daily newsletter Health Pulse. She published exposés on the big business of blood banks, New York’s decades-long pattern of hospital consolidation and a secret takeover attempt at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. Her investigation this fall into the continued failures to help homeless New Yorkers with serious mental illness, leading to two deaths, prompted Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to issue several legislative proposals aimed at increasing coordination of care.

Prior to Crain’s, Maya spent two years covering Queens for Patch, and she has also contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg News and CBS News.

Maya was born and raised in New York City, then headed to the Midwest to attend Kenyon College. After that, she received a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School, where she specialized in investigative reporting.

When Maya is not chasing down scoops, she enjoys baking anything chocolate and reading novels. And she’s also the proud new mother to a rescue cat, Socrates (Socks for short!), who receives a lot of attention, but would prefer all of her attention all the time.

Maya will be based in our Manhattan office and will take over New York Health Care, a daily newsletter, along with a sprawling and important beat. She will start Tuesday Jan. 3. Please join us in welcoming her to the team.