Focus Area

State Health Policy Leadership

Content Type:

  • Hard-Won Gains Against Sexually Transmitted Infections Could Slip Away 

    Blog Post

    Hard-Won Gains Against Sexually Transmitted Infections Could Slip Away 

    July 2025 Shannon Dowler

    People of every gender, race, age, and ethnicity are affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Currently, the United States is experiencing the largest epidemic of congenital syphilis since the 1990s, with thousands of babies being born with the potential for lifelong disabilities and death each year. On the other end of the life spectrum, the 60-plus crowd is moving into retirement communities with the most rapidly rising rates of STIs of any age group.   More

  • Blog Post

    Protecting and Promoting Public Service: Rejecting the Violence of Divisiveness 

    July 2025 Christopher F. Koller Morgan McDonald

    Liz Reyer ran for state representative in Minnesota to change things for the better, not to fear for her life or those of her family members. But the murder of her fellow representative and party leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of her cross-chamber colleague Sen. John Hofmann and his wife, on June 15 has brought the unthinkable to the realm of the possible.   More

  • Publication

    Advancing State-Based Health Reform through the NC State Transformation Collaborative: A Multistakeholder Initiative in Action

    June 2025 Brianna Van Stekelenburg Rebecca G. Whitaker Samantha Repka Emily Proehl Catie Armstrong Aparna Higgins Elizabeth Kasper Leonard A. Croom Janelle White Hilary Campbell Robert S. Saunders

    Many health providers are interested in making the shift to value-based payment (VBP), as these models can give greater flexibility in providing whole-person care, but administrative burden, variation in payer contracts, and a rapidly changing policy environment can impede their participation and success in these models. Streamlining the administration of payment models and adding supports like data sharing across payers and providers can make it easier for organizations by enabling more flexibility in care delivery, timely access to actionable information, and increased support for the health care workforce. More

  • Publication

    State Approaches to Addressing Hospital Costs: Virtual Convening of Milbank State Leadership Network Recap

    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

  • Federal Health Data Pauses and Staff Cuts Will Harm American Mothers and Babies 

    Blog Post

    Federal Health Data Pauses and Staff Cuts Will Harm American Mothers and Babies 

    June 2025 Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist

    The health and well-being of all Americans — but especially women and babies — relies on timely and accurate data. Pregnancy and early childhood are particularly vulnerable periods that require careful monitoring, support, and response. The more up-to-date information we have, the better chance we have of preventing unnecessary deaths, building healthy families, and setting children up for success. Yet, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s changes to the agency eliminated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health, among other divisions, almost entirely.   More

  • Blog Post

    Lessons Learned from Arkansas’ Experience with a Medicaid Work Requirement 

    June 2025 Craig Wilson Joseph W. Thompson 

    Whether states adopt work requirements voluntarily or implement them pursuant to a federal requirement, they have the advantage of being able to learn from the problems encountered by Arkansas, the first state to implement a Medicaid work requirement. More

  • State Strategies for Efficiently Allocating Health Resources: Use of Area-Level Indices in Policy, Funding, and Reimbursement

    Publication

    State Strategies for Efficiently Allocating Health Resources: Use of Area-Level Indices in Policy, Funding, and Reimbursement

    May 2025 Casey Balio Nicole Galler Nathan Dockery Michael Meit

    Abstract The United States ranks below peer nations on many measures of health status, health care access and quality, and health outcomes while… More

  • Blog Post

    “A Government Committed to Serving Everybody with Dignity and Respect” 

    May 2025 Christopher F. Koller

    Public acts of violence are harmful to viewers as well as victims, particularly when the victims are powerless. They can leave witnesses helpless and… More

  • News Article

    Depolarization Through Public-Sector Leadership Development: Emerging Leaders and Fellows Programs 

    April 2025

    Engaging policymakers with authority over population health funding and policies in leadership development has great potential to depolarize issues… More

  • Virtual Briefing

    Legislator Briefing on Funding Cuts to State and Local Public Health

    April 2025 Sarah-Hannah Herman

    This briefing, hosted during National Public Health week, addressed the restructuring of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the… More