Health Policy Update: April 17, 2025

In an effort to help our Funding Partners better understand the changing health policy landscape in the new administration and Congress, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is expanding the GIH Health Policy Update newsletter to three issues per month. Working in collaboration with Leavitt Partners, a leading health care policy consultancy, we are adding new installments of the newsletter on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, while we will continue to partner with Trust for America’s Health on the installment released on the second Wednesday of the month.

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Implementing the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

On January 1, 2006, Medicare prescription drug coverage became available to the program’s 43 million beneficiaries. To receive the coverage, however, beneficiaries must actively opt in to Medicare Part D by selecting a prescription drug plan (PDP).

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Confronting Chronic Homelessness: Health Funders Consider New Solutions

On any given day, at least 800,000 people are homeless in the United States, including about 200,000 homeless families. It is virtually impossible for most to find rental property within their means. Also, as many as 70 percent of homeless individuals struggle with serious health problems, mental and physical disabilities, or substance abuse problems.

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From the Ground Up

The resource portfolio is from GIH’s 2006 annual meeting, From the Ground Up: Improving Community Health, Inspiring Community Action.

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The Path to Policy Change: Practical Steps and Lessons from Health Funders

As part of its continuing mission to serve trustees and staff of health foundations and corporate giving programs, on November 3, 2005, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) convened nearly 80 grantmakers and a diverse group of individuals with expertise in different types of public policy work to discuss the challenges and opportunities for health funders interested in fostering systemic change. This report offers lessons learned about how to approach public policy work generally as well as those related to advocacy, communications, community organizing, data development and analysis, and evaluation.

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More Coverage, Better Care: Improving Children’s Access to Health Services

Children’s access to health care has been a longstanding policy issue, with strong bipartisan support for expanding insurance coverage and redesigning the health care delivery system in ways that benefit young people. Despite enormous progress made over the past two decades, however, millions of children remain unable to obtain needed health services. This Issue Brief covers how the current health care system succeeds and fails for children, emerging policy developments, what grantmakers are currently doing to promote children’s access to health services, and lessons learned to help guide future work.

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Preparedness or Panic: Resources for Grantmakers

Basic public health infrastructure is essential for effective preparation for and response to emergency events.  This resource guide is designed to help grantmakers working at the local, state, and national levels better understand how they can contribute to strengthening the public health system, as well as become more proactive in their efforts to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

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Innovations in the Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes

One of the most deadly and disabling consequences of America’s obesity epidemic is the precipitous increase of individuals suffering from diabetes. According to estimates by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), approximately 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes each day, with 1.5 million new cases diagnosed in 2005. The ADA predicts that one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes during their lifetime.

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