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 posts from our staff and guest authors.
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
Blog Post
July 2026 Franz Fuchs, Morgan McDonald,
Emergency medical services (EMS) are basic lifesaving infrastructure for any community. More
Publication
July 2026 Alida Austin, Katie M. Huber, Brianna Van Stekelenburg, Kody H. Kinsley, Rebecca G. Whitaker,
North Carolina’s Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) program, which was paused in July 2025 due to state funding constraints, tested whether providing evidence-based services to address upstream drivers of health for eligible Medicaid members could improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and address disparities in three predominantly rural regions of the state. More
July 2026 K. John McConnell, Hyunjee Kim, STEPHAN R. LINDNER, Jane M. Zhu, David DiGiuseppe, Hayden Rooke-Ley,
As states brace for federal funding cuts and potentially large disenrollments in Medicaid, this report assesses the extent to which Medicaid managed care delivers value across its core functions: reducing financial risk for states; utilization management; network formation; care management; quality improvement; and paying for claims. More
July 2026 Lori Rodefeld, Raquel Davis, Erin Fraher, Heidi B. Miller, Shelby Rimmler-Cohen, Mary Alice Scott, Mukesh Adhikari, Emily M. Hawes,
Physician workforce shortages are limiting access to health care in nearly every state, with underserved and rural areas facing the greatest shortfalls. More
July 2026 Debra Lubar,
My second job at CDC was running policy for the chronic disease center. More
June 2026
This Spotlight Brief demonstrates the health and economic impacts of heat emergencies, using a summer heat wave as a case study. More
News Article
June 2026 Morgan McDonald,
In this interview about managing executive branch transitions in state government, Debra Farrington, Deputy Secretary for Health in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, emphasized identifying priorities, engaging with legislators, and documenting relationships with community partners, so that important initiatives are understood as shared commitments. More
May 2026
In this edited Q&A and video with Milbank’s Morgan McDonald, MD, Jeff Lunardi—then interim Medicaid director at Virginia’s Department of Medical Assistance Services (Cardinal Care)—shares practical lessons on prioritization, nonpartisan leadership, and agency stability during a gubernatorial handoff. More
May 2026 Debra Lubar,
One year ago in April, I walked off CDC’s campus for the last time, after spending over 20 years in the agency. More
May 2026 Sofia Espinosa,
Amidst rapid changes to the federal, state, and local health policy landscape, the Milbank Memorial Fund is committed… More
