Katherine Hempstead is a Senior Policy Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She works on health care issues, mostly those related to health insurance, costs, and access to care. She is the author of a recent book, Uncovered: The Story of Insurance in America, (Oxford, 2024), which is a history of the insurance business in the United States and its relationship with state and federal government.

Prior to joining the RWJF, Hempstead worked in academia and in state government. She served as the Director of the Center for Health Statistics in the New Jersey Department of Health, and additionally worked at the Office of the Attorney General, where she was involved with a number of analytical and policy issues. Hempstead also served on the faculty of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy and at the NYU Wagner School.

Hempstead has taught history, public policy, and biostatistics in various settings. She frequently speaks and writes about insurance and health care topics. She is an active researcher and has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed literature. Hempstead sits on the National Advisory Council for Dispensary of Hope, a charitable pharmacy program. She also serves as the chair of the New Jersey Prescription Drug Affordability Council and is a member of the New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program Board.

Hempstead is a New Jersey native and received a PhD in Demography and History from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also received a bachelor’s degree in history and economics. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University’s Office of Population Research.

Hempstead briefed National Press Foundation fellows in September 2026: Covering the Coverage Gaps in ACA and Medicaid Programs.