Kurt Hellmann

Research Fellow, Health Care

In 2018, Hellmann served as campaign director of Heartland’s Free to Choose Medicine campaign, a nationwide project that promotes policies that will allow persons responsible access to drugs that have been undergoing human testing but have not yet received final approval for public use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At present, the formal FDA drug-approval process can take more than 12 years and cost manufacturers billions of dollars.

Hellmann is a veteran of political and policy issue campaigns, having worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. In his issue campaigns, he worked to bring conservative, freedom-based solutions to public health and human services policies. He helped to reform Medicaid long-term care spending in the State of Mississippi, increasing access to home and community-based services for seniors. He also led a campaign in Congress to increase access to assistive technology for persons with disabilities, permitting them to hold down jobs and live independently.

Hellmann is a Missouri native. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a juris doctorate degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. He is, alas, a Cardinals fan in Chicago.

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