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.
Social drivers of health
May 2026 Rashawn Ray, Keon Gilbert,
The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any peer nation, and its criminal justice system disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. More
Health Disparities
May 2026 Silvia Cannas, Maria Cucciniello,
Trust in the US health care system has declined substantially in recent years, threatening patient engagement, care outcomes, and health policy effectiveness. More
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Policy
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
State Health Policy
May 2026 Jonathan M. Metzl,
In April 2018, a naked man with an AR-15 burst into a Waffle House restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. Firing at random, he murdered four people and gravely injured five more before escaping into the night. More
Global Health
May 2026 Lawrence O. Gostin,
For more than three decades, I have worked alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during many of the world’s most consequential biological threats—from the containment of SARS-CoV-1 and the West African Ebola epidemic to the global responses to Zika and COVID-19. More
Mental Health
May 2026 Michael Shepherd, Bethany Albertson,
Context: Politics is increasingly important to many Americans. Yet little is known about how the increasing centrality of politics affects… More
May 2026 Kevin Fiscella, Alejandro J. Vera, Ashley M. Jenkins,
Edmund Pellegrino warned about the growing commodification of health and health care in the United States. After twenty-five years, it is worth revisiting Pellegrino’s critique and examining this critique in the current era. More
Commercial Determinants of Health
May 2026 Nancy Karreman, Marco Zenone, Nason Maani, Benjamin Hawkins,
The global wellness industry has multifaceted impacts on health and well-being, including through the sale and consumption of wellness products, the provision of health information to consumers, and the promotion of specific norms and values. Despite its growing prominence, the wellness industry and its impacts on health and policymaking remain understudied. This article examines how the wellness industry operates as a commercial, social, and political determinant of health. More
Health Insurance
May 2026 Adam Gaffney, Danny McCormick, David U. Himmelstein, Steffie Woolhandler,
The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025 will cut $1 trillion from federal health care programs over the coming decade and cause 10 million individuals to become uninsured according to the Congressional Budget Office. Most analyses of the bill’s impacts have assumed they would be the inverse of those documented from previous coverage expansions. An examination of past coverage cuts might yield additional insights into the probable impacts of this legislation on the medical care and health of the needy. More
April 2026 Heidi L. Allen,
For patients who have exhausted evidence-based therapies—including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), atypical antipsychotics, and cognitive behavioral interventions—access to experimental treatments should be no less available than it is for individuals with refractory cancer or Parkinson’s disease. More