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.
Supporting networks of state officials, advocates, and others aiming to invest in and transform primary care.
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 provide 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.
Upcoming and past 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.
Publication Topic
Blog Post
August 2026 Pantelis Paliouras,
Using estimates from RAND Health, our new Data Dashboard shows at a high level how state Medicaid funds will be affected by changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill. More
July 2026 Franz Fuchs, Morgan McDonald,
Emergency medical services (EMS) are basic lifesaving infrastructure for any community. More
Publication
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
April 2026 Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald,
The Milbank State Leadership Network hosted a virtual session for state legislators and executive branch leaders to discuss how states are planning to leverage the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to improve maternal and child health (MCH). Leaders from Mississippi, Indiana, and Oklahoma shared early implementation strategies, highlighting how states are aligning funding, infrastructure, and community partnerships to expand access to care and improve outcomes. More
April 2026 Lori Rodefeld, Emily M. Hawes, Raquel Davis, Shelby Rimmler-Cohen, Heidi B. Miller, Mary Alice Scott, Mukesh Adhikari, Erin Fraher,
This evidence-based framework organizes a GME growth strategy into five iterative stages: exploration, strategy development, strategy design, technical assistance, and optimization. More
December 2025 Howard J. Peterson,
Rural Regional Organizations for Cooperation present an opportunity to build more robust and sustainable health care solutions for rural areas. More
October 2025 Sofia Espinosa, Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald,
The Milbank State Leadership Network (MSLN) hosted two virtual sessions for state-to-state discussion on opportunities and strategies related to the federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, recently launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). More
October 2025 Emily Levi, Mary Jo Condon, Janice Bourgault,
This policy brief provides an overview of opportunities to improve state health care workforce data collection and analysis. More
October 2025 Anushree Vichare, Qian (Eric) Luo, Mandar Bodas, Clese Erikson, Yoon Hong Park, Patricia (Polly) Pittman,
The newly launched Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) invests $50 billion dollars towards strengthening health care across rural America, including by creating sustainable access to rural health care providers and improving workforce development. As states prepare proposals for the RHTP, they need a clear understanding of the workforce available to serve these populations, especially the primary care workforce available to rural Medicaid beneficiaries. More
September 2025 Michael Meit, Nicholas E. Hagemeier, Andrew Koricich,
As state policymakers apply for the OBBBA’s Rural Health Transformation funding, they have a significant opportunity to partner with their RPCUs to address the research, and especially, the workforce training needs of their rural communities. More