Matt McConnell

Matt McConnell is a researcher in the Economic Justice and Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. His work focuses on investigating the human rights impacts of private entities’ involvement in the delivery of goods and services essential to economic, social, and cultural rights, and advocating for universal access to high-quality public services, from health care to housing, education, and more.

Most recently, Matt worked with coalition partners to push for policy reforms to address some of the structural drivers of the United States’ medical debt crisis. He investigated the US’ charity-dependent model of hospital services, documenting how regulatory failures allow ostensibly charitable nonprofit hospitals to operate more like for-profit corporations that charge high fees and aggressively pursue medical bills against people who cannot pay. He also published a report that outlined how US government policies render life-saving medicines unaffordable for many, documenting how unregulated drug pricing and high out-of-pocket costs contribute to dangerous and potentially lethal insulin rationing.

Previously, Matt was a fellow with the US Program and Business and Human Rights Division, where he reported on federal deregulation that threatened to worsen already dangerous working conditions in the meatpacking industry. His research has been published in or cited by a range of outlets, including Axios, The Hill, The Messenger, Mother Jones, The Nation, NBC News, The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Matt received a juris doctorate from Stanford Law School and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California. He is admitted to the practice of law in New York State, was formerly a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia, and is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.