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.
Sustainable Health Care Costs
June 2025 Jessica Mar, Sarah Kinsler,
In 2024 and 2025, Bailit Health convened two work groups to establish consensus definitions and methodologies for health care spending analyses with support from the Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Health Care Costs. More
Fact Sheet Milbank State Leadership Network State Health Policy Leadership Sustainable Health Care Costs
June 2025 Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald,
The Milbank State Leadership Network hosted a virtual session for state legislators and legislative staff to discuss factors contributing to rising health care costs as well as opportunities for states to slow spending growth and make health care more affordable, with a particular focus on hospital costs. The briefing was hosted in partnership with Bailit Health, the technical assistance provider for the Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Healthcare Costs. More
In collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science, The Milbank Quarterly invited population health researchers to… More
Milbank State Leadership Network State Health Policy Leadership
June 2025 Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist,
The health and well-being of all Americans — but especially women and babies — relies on timely and accurate data. Pregnancy and early childhood are particularly vulnerable periods that require careful monitoring, support, and response. The more up-to-date information we have, the better chance we have of preventing unnecessary deaths, building healthy families, and setting children up for success. Yet, US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s changes to the agency eliminated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health, among other divisions, almost entirely. More
June 2025 Grace Flaherty, Michael Bailit,
Health care affordability is a key concern for state agencies and policymakers looking to ensure access to care without creating undue financial burdens on patients, employer purchasers, and states. But affordability means different things to different stakeholders. For consumers, it might mean whether they can pay out-of-pocket costs without skipping care. For employers, it may mean health plan premium increases that don’t cut into their margins and/or reduce the ability offer competitive wages. For state officials, it might mean balancing the state budget by managing Medicaid and state employee health plan spending. More
June 2025 Eric T. Roberts, Narda Ipakchi, Josh Kramer,
The US House of Representatives–passed tax bill includes a provision that would delay implementation of a federal regulation designed to reduce paperwork burdens that limit older adults’ access to benefits. More
June 2025
Michael S. Sparer, JD, PhD, is chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. More
Kody Kinsley served as North Carolina’s 18th Secretary of Health and Human Services in the administration of Governor Roy Cooper. More
Courtney N. Phillips, PhD, is a currently serving as the vice president of health affairs and chief health officer at Louisiana State University. More
June 2025 Craig Wilson, Joseph W. Thompson ,
Whether states adopt work requirements voluntarily or implement them pursuant to a federal requirement, they have the advantage of being able to learn from the problems encountered by Arkansas, the first state to implement a Medicaid work requirement. More
