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 blogs from our thought leaders, including Fund President Christopher F. Koller.
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.
Issue Brief Health Care Affordability
September 2025 Nathan Hostert, Andrew M. Ryan,
A recent study finds that Rhode Island’s affordability standards, which apply only to the fully insured market, have led to a 9% relative reduction in hospital prices across the entire commercial market. More
State Health Policy Leadership
September 2025 Amanda Spishak-Thomas, Allison Oh,
As of 2023, nearly 3 million children in the United States remained uninsured, largely due to immigration-related exclusions in public insurance programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In response, state policymakers have sought ways to close the gap on children’s coverage. More
Milbank State Leadership Network State Health Policy Leadership
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
September 2025 Morgan McDonald,
The National Conference of State Legislators Summit’s opening sessions, which featured former Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford and a tribute to slain Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, zeroed in on the need for depolarization in state houses and beyond. More
Health Care Affordability
September 2025
The third annual analysis of spending growth trends across cost growth target states finds all five exceeded their targets. More
Primary Care Transformation
September 2025 Christopher F. Koller,
The Trump administration released a draft Medicare rule this summer that might have been missed amid HR1’s large funding cuts to Medicaid and the health insurance marketplaces. But the administration’s proposed changes to the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee schedule are an important step toward strengthening primary care — and following through on its commitment to “Make America Healthy Again.” More
Population Health
September 2025 Isaac Weldon, Kathleen Liddell, Kevin Outterson,
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a pressing global health crisis rooted in complex collective action problems. Despite the urgency, policy responses have not kept pace with the escalating threat of drug resistance. By recognizing the similarities between AMR governance and other shared-resource challenges in environmental governance, this article examines potential strategies for AMR governance. More
Health Equity Health IT
September 2025 Pankaj Jain, Bhav Jain, Rushabh Doshi, Urvish Jain, Henry Claypool, Ariana Aboulafia, Bonnielin K. Swenor,
Throughout the last 50 years, the disability rights movement has made significant progress in providing statutory protections for people with disabilities in the United States. More
September 2025 Alan B. Cohen,
The Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate all manner of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices from government agencies, universities, and private sector workplaces has been coupled with steep funding cuts to key health agencies and the cancellation or freezing of medical research grants and contracts. It’s not just the careers of promising scientists and medical researchers that are at stake, but also the nation’s preeminent standing in the scientific community. Science unfortunately has become the latest victim in the culture wars taking place in the United States. More
September 2025 Sofia Espinosa,
Welcoming the 2025-26 Milbank State Leadership Program Cohorts As federal health agencies contract and fewer federal dollars are allocated… More
