William J. Gassen, JD
The Hospital Lobby's Incoming Chairman
President & CEO, Sanford Health
Overview
Runs a $12.5B integrated health system with 53,000 employees and 425,000 health plan members. The AHA Chair-Elect Designate — will become Chairman of the American Hospital Association in 2027. The AHA spent $29M+ on lobbying in 2023 and is the leading institutional force opposing physician-owned hospitals. The AHA actively opposes H.R. 3022 (Restoring Rights of Physicians to Own Hospitals Act). Gassen also sits on the board of Oscar Health (NYSE: OSCR), a technology-driven insurer backed by 8VC.
Career Arc
Professional Timeline
2020–Present
President & CEO
Sanford Health
CAO / CHRO / Corporate Counsel
Sanford Health
Healthcare litigator
Boyce Greenfield Pashby Welk
Business Interests & Affiliations
- •Sanford Health — $12.5B system, 53,000 employees, 2M+ patients, ~425,000 health plan members.
- •2025 mergers: Marshfield Clinic Health System (Wisconsin) and Prairie Lakes Healthcare System.
- •AHA Chair-Elect Designate (chairs 2027). AHA spent $29M+ lobbying in 2023.
- •Oscar Health Board (NYSE: OSCR) — co-founded with 8VC/Joe Lonsdale backing.
- •Chair, Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare.
- •Four consecutive years Modern Healthcare "100 Most Influential."
Red Flags
Conflicts & Concerns
The AHA is the single most powerful institutional opponent of physician-owned hospitals. Its incoming chairman sits on a CMS advisory committee.
AHA actively opposes H.R. 3022 (Restoring Rights of Physicians to Own Hospitals Act) — on the record as of July 2025.
Oscar Health board seat: governs a health insurer while running a $12.5B system with its own 425,000-member health plan — advising CMS on programs both entities profit from.
Not a physician. JD background — former healthcare litigator.
Physician-Owned Hospital Relevance
The most significant POH-adverse member on this committee. As incoming AHA chairman, Gassen represents the apex of institutional hospital lobbying against physician ownership. His presence on a CMS advisory committee is a direct channel from the hospital lobby to federal payment policy.
Sources