The Fund supports networks of state health policy decision makers to help identify, inspire, and inform policy leaders.
A bipartisan group of state health policymakers from both the executive and legislative branches who are focused on improving population health.
Networks of state officials, advocates, and others aiming to invest in and transform primary care.
A program dedicated to advancing state-based efforts to make health care more affordable for residents, employers, and states.
The Milbank Memorial Fund supports two state leadership programs for legislative and executive branch state government officials committed to improving population health.
A leadership development program for early and mid-career state government officials who are committed to improving the health of all people in their communities.
A leadership program for senior state government officials who are committed to improving population health.
The Fund focuses on creating an affordable health care system built on strong primary care and partnerships that improve health outcomes for all.
Improving state leaders’ ability to enact and implement evidence-based health policies.
Advancing policies that create a more prevention- and primary care-oriented health system.
Improving population health through policies that contain health care cost growth.
Our state health policy resources offer relevant data analysis and best practices.
The Fund publishes reports, issues briefs, and case studies on state health policy issues.
Short takes on health policy issues from Milbank staff and guest authors.
Insights from Milbank President Debra Lubar on state health policymaking.
Reported articles and Q&As on timely health policy issues, as well as foundation updates.
Milbank Memorial Fund and Milbank Quarterly webinars featuring state health policymakers and researchers.
Updates and expert contact information for reporters.
The Milbank Memorial Fund is a private foundation that works to improve population health and health equity.
Focus Area
Blog Post
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
Publication
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
June 2025 Grace Flaherty, Michael Bailit,
Health care affordability is a key concern for state agencies and policymakers looking to ensure access to care without creating undue financial burdens on patients, employer purchasers, and states. But affordability means different things to different stakeholders. For consumers, it might mean whether they can pay out-of-pocket costs without skipping care. For employers, it may mean health plan premium increases that don’t cut into their margins and/or reduce the ability offer competitive wages. For state officials, it might mean balancing the state budget by managing Medicaid and state employee health plan spending. More
May 2025 January Angeles, Erin Taylor,
Introduction Policymakers across the political spectrum have long recognized the widespread and growing burdens posed by high and rising… More
News Article
May 2025 Christine Haran, Mary Louise Gilburg,
On May 12, the Rhode Island Cost Trends Steering Committee and the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner hosted their annual public forum on health care affordability and quality. s. On the same day, the Massachusetts Senate held a hearing for Senate Bill 867, which would establish a primary care spending target. More
May 2025 Sarah Kinsler, Caitlin Otter,
This document describes the hospital-specific market basket methodology, which states can use to calculate hospital performance against the hospital price growth target. The Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Health Care Costs funded the development of code that can be used to perform this analysis using state all-payer claims data. The document also includes key design and implementation considerations for states pursuing a hospital price growth target. More
April 2025 Hayden Rooke-Ley, Megha Reddy, Neil Mehta, Yashaswini Singh, Erin C. Fuse Brown,
Private equity firms, insurance companies, and other corporate entities are using MSOs to bypass state prohibitions on the corporate practice of medicine, allowing large corporations to functionally own medical practices and influence clinical care. More
April 2025 Alex Reger, Lisa Sementilli ,
The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy is working toward engaging employers in the policy process. More
February 2025 Sabrina Corlette, Karen Davenport,
Unsustainable increases in health care costs are leading to high rates of medical debt, sapping the vitality of small businesses, straining state budgets, and dampening wage growth. States have the power to help reduce health care costs, and several are pursuing policies to do so. More
February 2025 Robert Seifert, Emma Rourke, Mary Jo Condon,
This report describes the experiences of states that have designed and implemented policies to pursue these multiple targets and gathers lessons from their experiences to inform future policy development. Interviews with state officials and a multi-state convening revealed the strategies states used to establish their targets and their experiences implementing them. Officials described challenges to implementation and efforts to overcome them. More