Improving population health and health equity by connecting leaders with experience and sound evidence

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Improving population health and health equity by connecting leaders with experience and sound evidence

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The Latest from The Milbank Memorial Fund

  1. State Health Policy Leadership: Navigating Rough Seas  

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  2. State Strategies for Engaging Community Health Workers Amid Federal Policy Shifts

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  3. Why the US Needs a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Health Care Workforce 

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  4. Harnessing the Capacity of Nurse Practitioners to Increase Access to Primary Care in Disadvantaged Communities

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  5. Efforts to Dismantle DEI Discount Our Values 

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  6. I Was Laid Off from CDC. Here’s Why We Need to Bolster State and Local Supports to Protect Public Health 

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Latest Milbank Quarterly Issue Released:  June 2025

  1. Early View Original Scholarship

    State Public Coverage of Pregnant Undocumented Immigrants and Prenatal Insurance Uptake

    By:  Meghan Bellerose Linqing Zheng Arielle Desir Rachel E. Fabi Laura R. Wherry Maria W. Steenland

    Health insurance coverage increases access to recommended pregnancy care, but undocumented immigrants are not eligible for pregnancy Medicaid coverage without state uptake of alternative policy options. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia (DC) offer public insurance to undocumented immigrants who are income eligible for pregnancy Medicaid through the Children’s Health Insurance Program From-Conception-to-End-of-Pregnancy option or state funds. More

  2. Early View Perspective

    Alcohol Problems and Policies: The States Have the Power, But Will They Use It?

    By:  David H. Jernigan

    Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions in the human body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define excessive drinking as binge drinking (4 or more drinks for women, 5 or more for men on one occasion in the past month), heavy drinking (8 or more drinks for women, 15 or more for men in a week), and any drinking during pregnancy or by persons younger than age 21 years. More

  3. Early View Original Scholarship

    The Significance of Definitions in Determining the Level of Community Benefits for Nonprofit Hospitals

    By:  Hossein Zare Gerard Anderson

    The American Hospital Association determined that in 2022 nonprofit hospitals spent $129 billion on community benefits. This is more than the entire budget for the US public health service. Different organizations estimate different amounts of community benefit spending depending on their definition of community benefit. More

  4. Early View Perspective

    Health Equity Benefits All Communities (Including White Ones)

    By:  Philip M. Alberti

    For more than 2 years, I have started my speaking engagements with a simple message: “Health equity benefits all communities.” Although the message may be straightforward, health equity–focused scientists and advocates like me have done an inadequate and ineffective job making that point clear and believable through stories, data, and messaging. More

  5. Early View Perspective

    From Disappointment to Predominance: Medicare Advantage’s Ascendancy and Transformation of Medicare

    By:  Rick Mayes Micah Johnson

    From 2004 to 2024, Medicare Advantage (MA) went from being a “policy disappointment,” covering 12% of all Medicare beneficiaries, to predominance, covering more than one-half (52%), with more growth predicted in the future. Drawing on an extensive review and synthesis of the literature, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reports, congressional committee hearings, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data, this paper analyzes the evolution of Medicare and managed care in three parts More

  6. Early View Original Scholarship

    People Versus Product: Conditions for Success for Community Health Workers as Sustainable Members of the Public Health Workforce

    By:  John Billimek Melina Michelen Patricia J. Cantero Noraima Chirinos Rocio Salazar Mary Anne Foo Samantha Peralta Brittany N. Morey Jacqueline J. Chow Salvador Zarate Sora Park Tanjasiri Alana M. W. Lebrón

    Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who support the well-being and capacity building of residents disproportionately affected by health inequities. The purpose of this study is to examine diverse perspectives on the conditions for CHW success as CHWs were engaged in rapidly implemented, highly responsive education, vaccination, and recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large county in Southern California. More

The Milbank Quarterly Opinion

Opioid Settlements, Big Pharma, and Racial Disparities in the Opioid Epidemic

Despite recent overall decreases in drug overdose deaths, racial disparities are persisting. This, coming against the backdrop of sweeping national opioid settlements, offers a reminder of the enduring potency of systemic racism in the face of what is otherwise a demonstrable public health success.  More

Medicaid Cuts Are Undemocratic and Not What the American People Want

Americans from across the political spectrum oppose cuts to Medicaid, believe that the program is effective, and are willing to take steps to defend Medicaid.  More

Rethinking Affordability: When Insurance Fails the Affordability Test

Millions of Americans possess insurance cards yet hesitate to use them. Escalating premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses now impact not only low-income families but nearly everyone except the wealthiest. Annual out-of-pocket costs for a family of four now exceed $20,000—enough to buy a new car each year. These substantial expenses compel families to skip preventive services and essential medical care. The notion that “some coverage is better than none” falters when cost-sharing deters care and heightens financial risk.  More
Thom Walsh

Thom Walsh

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State Networks and Leadership Programs

  • Milbank State Leadership Network

    The Milbank State Leadership Network is a bipartisan group of state health policy leaders from both the executive and legislative branches.

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  • Emerging Leaders Program

    The Emerging Leaders Program seeks to develop practical, hands-on leadership skills in future senior executive and legislative officials.

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  • Milbank Fellows Program

    The Milbank Fellows Program is a leadership program for executive branch and senior legislative state government leaders committed to improving population health.

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