MLSN-Only Virtual Briefings

Milbank State Leadership Network

The Milbank State Leadership Network’s virtual briefings, which feature subject matter experts and experienced state policymakers, include presentations and discussion on topics that are highly relevant to today’s legislative and executive branch state leaders.

Upcoming Briefings

Milbank State Leadership Network Exclusive Briefing: State Legislative Action on Medicaid and Behavioral Health 

Join the Milbank State Leadership Network and experts from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) on February 20, 2025, from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET, for a discussion on how states are approaching Medicaid and behavioral health policy during this legislative season. This conversation will explore bipartisan approaches to strengthen coverage, address rising costs amid severe budget constraints, and improve access to substance use disorder treatment and suicide prevention.   

To ensure your participation, please register for the Zoom meeting today. 

Event Details: 

  • Date & Time:  February 20, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 
  • Topic:  State Legislative Action on Medicaid Behavioral Health Policy 
  • Moderator:
    • Morgan McDonald, MD, National Director for Population Health Leadership, Milbank Memorial Fund 
  • National Conference of State Legislatures Panelists:
    • Kathryn Costanza, JD, Health Program Principal 
    • Karmen Hanson, MA, Health Program Senior Fellow 
    • Tahra Johnson, MPH, Health Program Director 
    • Charlie Severance-Medaris, MPH, Health Program Project Manager 

Briefing Archive

2024

  • December 2024: Medicaid Reimbursement Strategies for Community Health Workers with IMPaCT Care. A conversation highlighting the IMPaCT Care toolkit, which includes model State Plan Amendment text, the rationale behind the model text, and principles for CHW/P/CHR reimbursement rates. State executives from New Mexico and South Dakota provided insights on their own journeys to implement CHW/P/CHR payment policies. Read the fact sheet.
  • August 2024: Women’s Health and Reproductive Care Report. A conversation with the authors of the Commonwealth Fund report and officials from three states focused on state application of the data and approaches to improving women’s health access and outcomes. Read the fact sheet. 
  • May 2024: State Health Disparities Report. A review of this Commonwealth Fund analysis of disparities in health care access, quality, service use, and health outcomes — and recent successes and areas for improvement with insights from states on their strategies to improve disparities highlighted in the report. Read the fact sheet. 
  • March 2024: Models for Enhanced Health Care Market Oversight briefing.  A look at how some states have expanded oversight over health care transactions to assure affordability and access using two pathways: expanding the review authority of the attorney general or other state agencies or giving authority to review transactions to additional oversight entities. Read the fact sheet.

2023

  • July 2023: State and Local Public Health Leadership: Politics and the Public Health Workforce. Legislators and public health leaders from Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, New York, and Washington, who were the focus of a study on public health leadership, joined the authors to discuss the key findings and lessons learned in their states. Read the fact sheet.

2022

  • November 2022: Health Care Costs Reporting and Actions. A discussion of state cost growth target programs, an approach for advancing sustainable health care cost growth pioneered by Massachusetts that creates transparency and accountability for health care cost growth. Read the fact sheet.

Leveraging Performance Scorecards Briefings

In 2022, the MLSN hosted a series of virtual briefings to highlight important sources of state-level data on health system performance — and provide guidance on how best to use them. The “Leveraging Performance Scorecards to Improve Health and Equity in Your State” series included: 

2021