Health Policy Exchange: The New Fall Forum
We are excited to announce that the Grantmakers In Health (GIH) Fall Forum has been rebranded as the Health Policy Exchange. The new name reflects the multi-day conference’s purpose: to provide opportunities for health funders focused on policy to network with policymakers and other funders, exchange ideas and best practices, and identify opportunities for collaboration.
The theme of the 2024 Health Policy Exchange is Beyond the Ballot: Advancing Policy in a New Administration. We discussed the election results’ impact on philanthropy’s work advancing better health for all, delved into critical policy issues that affect the country, and received updates from the Hill.
Other topics explored by participants included opportunities for cross-sector collaboration in public health, updates on health policy at the state level, philanthropy and the Supreme Court, the changing landscape of women’s health, and philanthropy’s role in supporting systems change.
Funder CEOs convened for a post-election conversation about navigating the new administration, including opportunities and challenges related to health equity. This dialogue continued the discussion begun at the June 2024 Annual Conference and will solidify relationships among funder CEOs as we move forward collectively in pursuing our health missions.
2024 Lauren LeRoy Health Policy Lecture
Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health and Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University delivered the 2024 Lauren LeRoy Health Policy Lecture at the GIH Health Policy Exchange!
He spoke about his long career in public health, his work on COVID-19, and his thoughts on the current policy landscape.
On the outlook for the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare during the next administration, Dr. Jha said, “We still have 10 states who haven’t expanded Medicaid. I don’t know that we’ll see much more expansion. What’s going to happen on the Medicaid side is that they are going to put in work requirements … on the Medicare side of things is that we have gone to 55 percent Medicare Advantage—Medicare Advantage has taken over Medicare. The Biden administration has tried to put some brakes on that, but my bet is that the brakes come off. We’ll be at 70 – 75 percent after four years.”