The Fund supports networks of state health policy decision makers to help identify, inspire, and inform policy leaders.
The Milbank Memorial Fund supports two state leadership programs for legislative and executive branch state government officials committed to improving population health.
The Fund identifies and shares policy ideas and analysis to advance state health leadership, strong primary care, and sustainable health care costs.
Keep up with news and updates from the Milbank Memorial Fund. And read the latest blogs from our thought leaders, including Fund President Christopher F. Koller.
The Fund publishes The Milbank Quarterly, as well as reports, issues briefs, and case studies on topics important to health policy leaders.
The Milbank Memorial Fund is is a foundation that works to improve population health and health equity.
Focus Area
News Article
September 2025
The third annual analysis of spending growth trends across cost growth target states finds all five exceeded their targets. More
Publication
August 2025 Nathan Hostert,
In the first half of 2025, states enacted numerous laws to strengthen their health care markets. These new laws address several recurring policy issues affecting states across the country, including skyrocketing health care costs, increased consolidation in the healthcare sector, and the heightened penetration of private equity in health care systems. This brief highlights trends in state health policy across four major themes and identifies states that have made significant reforms in each of these areas this year. More
August 2025 Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald,
Event Date: July 22, 2025 The Milbank State Leadership Network hosted a virtual session for state legislators and legislative staff to discuss… More
Blog Post
August 2025 Rachel Block,
The passage of HR1/OBBB, the 2025 budget reconciliation law, is expected to lead to the loss of coverage for 16 million Americans, lower revenue for health systems, and add administrative burden to states. There are a few ways that states can try to minimize these harms. More
July 2025 Alyssa Vangeli, Sarah Kinsler,
This brief provides an overview of existing state, federal, and private sector hospital efficiency measures; the advantages and limitations of those measures; potential modifications to existing measures; and options for how states can employ new or existing measures to better understand current hospital efficiency levels and incentivize improved efficiency. More
June 2025
Download consensus definitions and methodologies for health care cost driver analyses and cost growth target programs. More
June 2025 Grace Flaherty, January Angeles,
This issue brief examines how three of these states —Massachusetts, Oregon, and California — have strengthened cost growth target accountability. It also highlights five states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Oregon — that have leveraged their cost growth targets in other health care oversight programs. More
June 2025 Mary Louise Gilburg,
In a new Health Affairs Forefront article, Milbank Memorial Fund president Christopher Koller discusses the role of health care cost growth target programs in spurring policy change to lower cost growth. More
June 2025 Jessica Mar, Sarah Kinsler,
In 2024 and 2025, Bailit Health convened two work groups to establish consensus definitions and methodologies for health care spending analyses with support from the Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Health Care Costs. More
June 2025 Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald,
The Milbank State Leadership Network hosted a virtual session for state legislators and legislative staff to discuss factors contributing to rising health care costs as well as opportunities for states to slow spending growth and make health care more affordable, with a particular focus on hospital costs. The briefing was hosted in partnership with Bailit Health, the technical assistance provider for the Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Healthcare Costs. More
