Following a lengthy rehabilitation of his knee injury, he tried out for and made the Seminole football team as a walk on, frequently working in practice against legendary defensive back Deion Sanders.

in Political Science and worked in the Tallahassee campaign office of Pete Peterson, then a candidate for Congress in Florida's Second Congressional District.

In 2020, he completed a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Florida[4] After Pete Peterson won the 1990 congressional race against incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Grant, he hired Altmire to work in his Capitol Hill office.

[3] In 1993, Altmire was appointed to a working group for President Bill Clinton’s Task Force on National Health Care Reform.

Ambassador to Vietnam, Altmire continued his work in health care policy by taking a job as a lobbyist for the Federation of American Hospitals.

[10] Altmire left UPMC in June 2005 to run against three-term incumbent Republican U.S. Congresswoman Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, who was considered by most observers to be invulnerable.

[16] Altmire successfully fought to guarantee the enlistment bonuses of combat-wounded veterans,[17][18] and he forced a 2007 policy change allowing Vietnam-era Gold Star families access to White House tours after a constituent was denied.

[19] He made several trips to the Middle East during his time in office, visiting U.S. troops and meeting with foreign leaders in Yemen,[20] Iraq,[21] and Israel,[22] among other countries.

[25] During the 2008 presidential primary election, Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both sought Altmire's support as a superdelegate.

"[36][37][31] After leaving Congress in 2013, Altmire became the executive of a Florida health insurance company and expressed support for the Affordable Care Act.

[40][41] As chairman, he introduced legislation to assist small businesses affected by deployments of employees serving in the United States National Guard.

[42][43][44] In January 2013, Altmire began work as a lobbyist and public relations executive for the health insurance company Florida Blue.

[57] In 2019, he helped to author a report published by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, recommending reforms to the American political system.

[60] He and his wife, Kelly, have endowed a permanent scholarship at Florida State University, awarded annually to a health policy student “who demonstrates ambition and maturity through campus involvement and leadership, internships, employment, community service, faculty recommendations and/or overcoming significant challenges.“[61] Altmire, Jason (2017) How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It, Sunbury Press, ISBN 978-1620067543 Altmire's papers and records from his time in public service are housed at the University of Pittsburgh.