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.
April 10, 2017
Report
Pierre-Gerlier Forest
W. David Helms
Publication
Nov 25, 2024
Aug 13, 2024
Jul 26, 2024
Back to Publications
What does it take in terms of staff, leadership, and resources to plan and implement new policies? The Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have been the largest and most complex piece of social policy legislation passed by Congress since Medicaid and Medicare—and it will not be the last. A new report by Pierre-Gerlier Forest and W. David Helms examines state health policy capacity and leadership—and is especially important given the continuing debate about changes to the ACA and improving health care delivery in the United States.
Regardless of the policy positions they take, executive and legislative branch state policymakers need to make decisions that are right for their constituents and implement those decisions effectively and efficiently.
The experience of state health policy leaders who were involved in implementing sweeping changes to the ACA—in the commercial health insurance market and options regarding insurance exchanges and Medicaid eligibility—provides important lessons for policymakers tasked with planning and implementing comprehensive programs.
The authors use a combination of surveys and interviews to capture the experience of state leaders who were involved in changes to the ACA. Their examination of how state leaders made and implemented policy decisions provides a unique opportunity to assess the resources needed and processes used by decision makers. The report identifies key capacities that are essential to policymaking—and the outstanding needs that remain.