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.
May 2026
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) response to the recent hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship reflects “the atrophy of American public health,” according to a new Milbank Quarterly Opinion by Lawrence O. Gostin of Georgetown University and the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Public Health Law and Human Rights. 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
Milbank State Leadership Network State Health Policy Leadership
In this edited Q&A and video with Milbank’s Morgan McDonald, MD, Jeff Lunardi—then interim Medicaid director at Virginia’s Department of Medical Assistance Services (Cardinal Care)—shares practical lessons on prioritization, nonpartisan leadership, and agency stability during a gubernatorial handoff. 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
State Health Policy Leadership
May 2026 Debra Lubar,
One year ago in April, I walked off CDC’s campus for the last time, after spending over 20 years in the agency. 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
May 2026 Sofia Espinosa,
Amidst rapid changes to the federal, state, and local health policy landscape, the Milbank Memorial Fund is committed… 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
