Skip to main content
Cornell University mobile logo
Blogging.

Healthcare Insights

portrait of John August

John August is the Scheinman Institute’s Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs. His expertise in healthcare and labor relations spans 40 years. John previously served as the Executive Director of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions from April 2006 until July 2013. With revenues of 88 billion dollars and over 300,000 employees Kaiser is is one of the largest healthcare plans in the US. While serving as Executive Director of the Coalition, John was the co-chair of the Labor-Management Partnership at Kaiser Permanente, the largest, most complex, and most successful labor-management partnership in U.S. history. He also led the Coalition as chief negotiator in three successful rounds of National Bargaining in 2008, 2010, and 2012 on behalf of 100,000 members of the Coalition. 

Healthcare Insights: As Millions Lose Health Coverage, Those Who Provide Care Suffer

Scheinman’s John August analyzes how losing health coverage affects both patients and health care workers, arguing that reduced access to care and rising clinician burnout are “two sides of the same coin.” 
Doctors
Healthcare Insights: As Millions Lose Health Coverage, Those Who Provide Care Suffer

Healthcare Insights: Collective Bargaining Success for Primary Care Doctors

“Healthcare Insights: Collective Bargaining Success for Primary Care Doctors” highlights the historic first union contract won by Allina Health’s private-sector primary care doctors and shows how it reflects growing physician frustration with burnout, understaffing, and the corporate pressures shaping healthcare today.
Back row, Travis Lockwood, Robyn Gulley, (union staff), Brenda Hilbrich (chief union negotiator), Chriss Filetti, Kelly McTeague, Sara Davis, (Union staff) Chris Antolak, Matt Hoffman, Michelle Thorsness Front row, Britta Kasmerick, Dain Meyer, Kristen Medhenie, Katherine Oyster
Healthcare Insights: Collective Bargaining Success for Primary Care Doctors

Healthcare Insights: The High Growth of Low Wages in Healthcare

“Healthcare Insights: The High Growth of Low Wages in Healthcare” examines the rapid rise of low-paying healthcare jobs, especially in home health and long-term care, and explores what this trend reveals about broader problems in wages, caregiving, and the U.S. healthcare system.
Main Image
Healthcare Insights: The High Growth of Low Wages in Healthcare

Healthcare Insights: 10 Years of Labor Management Success At Bellevue Hospital

In this month’s Healthcare Insights, John August explores how Bellevue Hospital empowered frontline clinicians and leaders to collaborate, solve systemic challenges, and improve patient care.
healthcare215
Healthcare Insights: 10 Years of Labor Management Success At Bellevue Hospital

Healthcare Insights: Who Will Stand for Patients and How?

In this month's Healthcare Insights, John August explores how empowering healthcare workers through labor-management partnerships provides a path to improving patient care.
12/8/25
Healthcare Insights: Who Will Stand for Patients and How?

Healthcare Insights: Primary Care Crisis: What To Do?

In this month’s edition of Healthcare Insights, John August explores how the Allina Health primary care strike signals a breaking point in the U.S. primary care system.
Nov Healthcare
Healthcare Insights: Primary Care Crisis: What To Do?

Healthcare Insights: Labor-Management Partnership in a Time of Crisis

In this month's edition of Healthcare Insights, John August explores the labor-management partnership in the midst of workplace shortages and the advancement of A.I.
healthcare 10/18
Healthcare Insights: Labor-Management Partnership in a Time of Crisis

Healthcare Insights: Physicians and the Vaccine Crisis

In this month's edition of Healthcare Insights, John August explores how recent policy shifts fueling vaccine chaos are challenging physicians’ ability to protect patients and public health.
Healthcare Insights Pic September
Healthcare Insights: Physicians and the Vaccine Crisis

Healthcare Insights: A Blueprint for Physician Organization

In this month's Healthcare Insights, John August explores the issues identified in an ACP position paper, which the organization argues must be addressed through collective action.
Healthcare photo copy
Healthcare Insights: A Blueprint for Physician Organization

Healthcare Insights: Doctors Continue to Organize

In this month's Healthcare Insights, John August explores the historic unionization of Mass General Brigham primary care physicians and the obstacles doctors face in gaining a collective voice.
Doctors
Healthcare Insights: Doctors Continue to Organize

Healthcare Insights: Maternal Death in the U.S. - Worst in the Industrialized World

Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs John August analyzes maternal death in the United States.
title
Healthcare Insights: Maternal Death in the U.S. - Worst in the Industrialized World

Healthcare Insights: "Do No Harm"

In this month's healthcare insights, John August discusses immigrants' right to healthcare.
Doctors
Healthcare Insights: "Do No Harm"

Healthcare Insights : Why Are Doctors Organizing?

Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs John August examines the trend among the nation's physicians to form unions.
Healthcare photo copy
Healthcare Insights : Why Are Doctors Organizing?

Healthcare Insights: Where Are All The Pediatricians?

John August, Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs, analyzes the impacts of the nationwide shortage of pediatricians.
Healthcare Insights: Where Are All The Pediatricians?

Healthcare Insights: The Crisis At Nursing Homes

John August, Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs, examines the crisis in labor relations at nursing homes.
Nursing homes
Healthcare Insights: The Crisis At Nursing Homes

Healthcare Insights: How Medical Debt Is Crushing 100 Million Americans

Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs John August examines the causes and affects of medical debt on American families.
debt
Healthcare Insights: How Medical Debt Is Crushing 100 Million Americans

Healthcare Insights: Suicide and Physicians

John August examines the rise of physician suicide.
doc photos 1
Healthcare Insights: Suicide and Physicians

Healthcare Insights: Consolidation in Healthcare - Danger and Opportunity

John August, Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner programs examines how healthcare consolidation has impacted the cost of healthcare, and the quality of care.
Healthcare
Healthcare Insights: Consolidation in Healthcare - Danger and Opportunity

Healthcare Insights: Another Historic Organizing Win for Doctors - John August

John August, the the Scheinman Institute’s Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs examines physicians' goals and concerns around union organizing.
Doctors
Healthcare Insights: Another Historic Organizing Win for Doctors - John August

Physician Unionization : A Hot Topic at the American Medical Association

John August, Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs, examines the growth of physician related unions.
Healthcare photo copy
Physician Unionization : A Hot Topic at the American Medical Association

Healthcare Insights: Physicians Take Bold Action

John August, Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs, examines the role of physicians in using collective action to save America's troubled healthcare system.
doctor 1 photo
Healthcare Insights: Physicians Take Bold Action

Healthcare Insights: Rhode Island Can Be a Model for Successful Healthcare Labor Relations

Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs John August examines the Rhode Island model for healthcare labor relations.
John August article April
Healthcare Insights: Rhode Island Can Be a Model for Successful Healthcare Labor Relations

Healthcare Insights: Physician Collective Bargaining

In this month's edition of Healthcare Insights, John August discusses physician collective bargaining.
Healthcare webinar
Healthcare Insights: Physician Collective Bargaining

Healthcare Insights: America’s Retail Pharmacies - Patients and Pharmacists in Crisis

Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs John August examines the current labor crisis for pharmacists.
Pharmacy
Healthcare Insights: America’s Retail Pharmacies - Patients and Pharmacists in Crisis

Healthcare Insights: Doctors Are Organizing

Scheinman Institute Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs John August analyzes the growing trend of physician based unions.
New Doctor photo
Healthcare Insights: Doctors Are Organizing

Healthcare Insights: The Strike at Kaiser Permanente: Causes, Lessons, And Opportunities

John August, Director of Healthcare and Partner Programs, analyzes the Kaiser Permanente strike.
emergency room
Healthcare Insights: The Strike at Kaiser Permanente: Causes, Lessons, And Opportunities

Healthcare Insights: A Strike and Settlement at Kaiser Permanente, What Can We Learn?

John August examines the Kaiser Permanente strike and settlement terms.
Healthcare photo copy
Healthcare Insights: A Strike and Settlement at Kaiser Permanente, What Can We Learn?

Healthcare Insights: Enhancing Doctor Engagement in the Nation’s Largest Public Health System

John August discusses the use of the Doctors Council in the NYC H+H system.
Doctors
Healthcare Insights: Enhancing Doctor Engagement in the Nation’s Largest Public Health System

Healthcare Insights: "Without Health There Is No Person"

In this month's Healthcare Insights, John August explores the inadequacies of the US health system through the struggles of a small business.
Everyone deserves healthcare protesters
Healthcare Insights: "Without Health There Is No Person"

Healthcare Insights: Florida's New Law Hurts Patients and Doctors

In this month's Healthcare Insights, John August discusses how a new Florida law requiring most hospitals to collect citizenship status on their patients will negatively impact the healthcare of immigrant families.
Nurse and patient converse in hospital setting
Healthcare Insights: Florida's New Law Hurts Patients and Doctors