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. Assessing Hospital Efficiency: Considerations for States Seeking to Reduce Health Care Costs

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  2. Hard-Won Gains Against Sexually Transmitted Infections Could Slip Away 

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  3. Protecting and Promoting Public Service: Rejecting the Violence of Divisiveness 

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  4. Consensus Administrative Specifications for Health Care Cost Analyses

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  5. Beyond Public Reporting: Strengthening Accountability to States’ Cost Growth Targets and Leveraging Targets in Health Care Oversight

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  6. Stories from the Field: The Impact of Federal Funding Cuts on Population Health Researchers

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Latest Milbank Quarterly Issue Released:  June 2025

  1. Early View Original Scholarship

    Turf Wars: How Growth and Competitive Shocks Have Affected the Performance and Stability of Community Health Centers

    By:  Justin Markowski

    Context: Community health centers (CHCs) are a critical and growing part of the health care safety net, doubling over the past 15 years to expand access to essential health care services to over 31 million patients in traditionally underserved communities. However, increasingly, CHCs have opened care delivery locations in communities already served by another CHC, potentially creating competitive markets with unknown implications for how this safety net operates. More

  2. Early View Perspective

    Legal Barriers to Safer Smoking Supplies Cause Harm and Should Be Removed

    By:  Corey Davis Amy Lieberman Czarina Behrends

    The United States continues to experience a nearly unprecedented level of drug-related health harms, with over 105,000 Americans dying of overdose in 2023 alone. Although overall overdose deaths declined slightly from 2022 to 2023, rates for Black people continued to rise. Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine are increasingly involved in overdose deaths, and xylazine and other contaminants continue to be prevalent in the illicit drug supply. More

  3. Early View Original Scholarship

    Lobbying in the Shadows: A Comparative Analysis of Government Lobbyist Registers

    By:  Jennifer Lacy-Nichols Hedeeyeh Baradar Eric Crosbie Katherine Cullerton

    nformation about lobbying is crucial to alert the public about undue influence in government decision making. Yet, government disclosures of lobbying activities are rare internationally and vary considerably in their completeness and accessibility. Building on a framework to measure lobbying transparency, this study benchmarked national government disclosures to understand what information was shared and to develop recommendations to strengthen political transparency. More

  4. Early View Original Scholarship

    Incarceration and Psychiatric Emergency Department Visits Among Black Americans

    By:  Abhery Das Michael Esposito Tim A. Bruckner Hedwig Lee

    The justice system incarcerates nearly 2.3 million individuals in the United States. Black Americans comprise 40% of those incarcerated despite representing less than 15% of the population. Theoretical work posits that mass incarceration can erode social capital by straining social and family networks as well as inducing carceral churn and coercive mobility within Black communities. Scholars report that greater incarceration may influence population-level health, specifically in communities of color. However, previous work does not address whether incarceration, as well as the racial disparity in incarceration, corresponds with psychiatric help seeking in the Black community. More

  5. Early View Perspective

    Laws Governing Substance Use During Pregnancy: Next Steps for Health Equity Research

    By:  Hannah L.F. Cooper Anna L. Mullany Snigdha Peddireddy Simone Wien Melvin "Doug" Livingston Whitney S. Rice Anne L. Dunlop Michael R. Kramer Madison Haiman Lasha S. Clarke Natalie D. Hernandez-Green Angélica Meinhofer

    See all articles in the special issue, Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges Facing the United States: What Can State Policymakers… More

  6. Early View Perspective

    No Data, No Problem: Quantifying Latine Individuals Eligible for but Not Enrolled in Medicaid or Affordable Care Act Marketplace-Based Insurance in North Carolina

    By:  Gabriela Plasencia Kamaria Kaalund Olurotimi Kukoyi Viviana Martinez-Bianchi Andrea Thoumi

    Populations that identify as Latino/a/e/x or Hispanic (herein referred to as Latine) in the United States continue to face disproportion-ate health… 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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