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.
Quarterly Topic
Quarterly Article
May 2026 Sayeh Nikpay, Mikayla Reinke, Nicole Quinones,
The 1992 340B Drug Pricing Program (“340B”) started as a narrowly focused program aimed at Public Health Service Act–funded clinics and public hospitals. Today 340B includes two-thirds of all nonprofit hospitals in the United States and accounts for more than $80 billion in discounted drug purchases. More
February 2026 Jennifer L. Pomeranz, Erika Hanson, Dariush Mozaffarian,
The United States is an outlier worldwide in its permissive regulatory landscape for direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug promotion. Recent proposals to restrict DTC prescription drug advertising raise questions about potential challenges under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which protects commercial speech. More
Quarterly Opinion
November 2025 Paul T. Kim,
As feared at the start of the second Trump Administration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proven a willing good soldier in fulfilling the… More
October 2025 Spruha Joshi, Victoria A. Jent, Sneha M. Sunder, Katherine Wheeler-Martin, Magdalena Cerdá,
See all articles in the special issue, Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges Facing the United States: What Can State Policymakers… More
June 2025 Hannah Rahim, Aaron S. Kesselheim,
Prescription drug prices in the United States are substantially higher than in other high-income countries, with US prices reported to be an average of 2.78 times those of other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.1 In response to these high prices, along with an opaque supply chain that can lead to substantial discrepancies in prices across different payors, states have passed drug price transparency laws that require manufacturers to disclose information on drug prices. More
April 2025 Dalton Conley,
Personalized medicine is one of those ideas that seems so obviously good it barely warrants debate. Why wouldn’t we want to tailor treatments to… More
February 2025 Kristina Jenei,
The World Health Organization (WHO) Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) aims to help countries select medicines based on the priority needs of their populations. However, rapid evolution within the pharmaceutical sector toward complex, high-priced medicines has challenged WHO decision making, leading to inconsistent decisions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how political factors impact the WHO EML. More
February 2025 Kristi Martin, Meena Seshamani,
Addressing persistent and widespread challenges in any large organization necessitates implementation of policies and programs in ways that are… More
January 2025 Rena M. Conti, Patrick DeMartino, Jonathan Gruber, Andrew W. Lo, Yutong Sun, Jackie Wu,
Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) offer treatment to rare and oftentimes deadly diseases. Because of their high price and uncertain clinical outcomes, US insurers commonly restrain patient access to CGTs, and these barriers may create or perpetuate existing disparities. A reconsideration of existing insurance policies to improve access and reduce disparities is currently underway. More
September 2024 Iselin Dahlen Syversen, Kevin Schulman, Aaron S. Kesselheim, William B. Feldman,
The Medicare drug negotiation framework established under the Inflation Reduction Act is far more limited than other frameworks in seven health systems explored in this study. More