The Latest

Early View Original Scholarship
September 2026

US Life Expectancy and Increasing Mortality Rates: An Analysis of the Crisis

By Steven H. Woolf

US life expectancy is shorter than in other high-income countries, and the gap has widened over time. More

Open Access
Early View Original Scholarship
September 2026

Addressing Social and Cultural Needs with Lean Management in a National Sample of US Physician Practices

By Dorothy Y. Hung LILLIAN C. LEVY Karen E. Schifferdecker Dasha E. Zerboni Stephen M. Shortell

Health-related social needs—including stable housing, food security, and interpersonal safety—and patient race, ethnicity, and language (REAL) are key contributors to health equality. More

Open Access
Early View Original Scholarship
September 2026

The Czech Conundrum: Institutional Trust Erosion and COVID-19 Pandemic Mortality

By Charles P. Webel

The Czech Republic’s COVID-19 excess mortality represents a preparedness paradox. More

Early View Perspective
September 2026

The Inverted Circuit: Attribution, Answerability, and Accountability in Canadian Health Governance

By Alan H. Menkis

Canada and the United States have pursued health-system accountability for decades through inquiries, commissions, and public reporting, yet the same governance failures recur. More

Open Access
Early View Perspective
September 2026

The State of Primary Care in the United States

By Robert L. Phillips Deborah J. Cohen Ethan J. Phillips Lauren S. Hughes  Andrew W. Bazemore

Primary care is the foundation of a high-functioning health system, yet it has been weakened for decades, and the consequences for patients, population health, and costs are increasingly apparent. More

Early View Perspective
September 2026

Building a Resilient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Safety Net in An Era of Austerity: Challenges for US State Governments

By Brendan Saloner Yngvild Olsen

State governments play a central role in the delivery of substance use care in the United States, which has a profound impact on public health. More

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Opinions

Joshua R. Ehrlich
September, 2026

What the World Can Teach the United States about Aging

Populations around the world are aging, and fast. Here in the United States, not only is the population getting older, but it’s doing so in the…  More
Kody H. Kinsley
September, 2026

It’s Time to Consider Federalizing State Medicaid Payments for Medicare Premiums and Cost Sharing

State policymakers are confronting budget challenges stemming from recent federal restrictions on Medicaid funding, as well as from the rising costs…  More
Mona Hanna
August, 2026

Rethinking Population Health Through Place-Based Targeted Universalism

Public health has become remarkably good at mapping geographic disparities in health. Color-coded maps of infant mortality, childhood lead exposure,…  More
Michele Ver Ploeg
August, 2026

SNAP Food Restrictions May Help or Hurt—But We Will Probably Never Know

It is important to rigorously assess whether SNAP restrictions on foods yield meaningful benefits to diet and health. Yet evaluation faces numerous challenges.  More
Andrew Anderson
August, 2026

Measuring Whether Behavioral Health Crisis Systems Reach People in Need

Since passage of the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, the United States has made significant investments in behavioral health crisis response…  More

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Special Issue

Read the articles

Disease Burden, Mortality, and Life Expectancy in the United States: What Can State Policymakers Do to Meet the Challenges?

The 2026 Milbank Quarterly special issue features articles that address epidemiologic trends and challenges, health care issues and state-level innovations, and public health infrastructure and governmental issues.

For Authors

Information, instructions for authors, publication policies, and additional resources for authors interested in submitting manuscripts to The Milbank Quarterly.

Learn More

About The Milbank Quarterly

Continuously published since 1923, The Milbank Quarterly features peer-reviewed original research, policy review, and analysis from academics, clinicians, and policymakers.

Editor

Alan B. Cohen

Publisher

Debra Lubar

Managing Editor

Tara Strome

2-year Impact Factor: 6.6
Journal Citation Reports® 2022 Rankings: 3/87 (Health Policy & Services); 8/105 (Health Care Sciences & Services)
5-year Impact Factor: 8.964