Healthcare Delivery

Governors know that improving the health of citizens is not only essential to ensuring they live productive lives, but also to controlling health care costs and balancing budgets; as a result, states are leading on a wide array of health reform initiatives.

Governors are focused on finding ways to pay for and deliver care that will lead to improved quality, better outcomes and lower costs in their states. To support these priorities, NGA provides information, research synthesis, policy analysis, technical assistance, special projects, and resources to Governors and their staff on healthcare delivery topics including: Healthcare workforce; Long-term care and older adults; Healthcare and pharmaceutical cost and coverage; Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma informed care; Health equity. NGA also provides special opportunities for states to engage in more in-depth technical assistance such as through policy academies, learning collaboratives, workshops, and roundtables on these topics.

Services Available

Strategic planning facilitation and best practice guidance on healthcare delivery topics or initiatives
Strategic guidance, feedback and meeting facilitation support to Governor-appointed healthcare workforce, health equity, trauma, and insurance boards or commissions
Annual HHS Advisors Institute for state leaders on emerging healthcare delivery issues
Regular communications and briefings to health policy advisors on healthcare delivery topics
Customized research briefs and best practice presentations upon request

Program Contact:

Anna Heard, Senior Policy Analyst, Health

Focus Areas

Featured Projects

Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Project Year 3 – Policy Academy and Knowledge Exchange Network

NGA launched the Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce project in 2022 with support from HRSA. The project supports Governors’ offices and other senior state officials in implementing strategies to strengthen and grow the next generation of the healthcare workforce. Year three of this project will focus on a policy academy and learning network to lay the foundation for new initiatives, funding opportunities, or administrative policies for improving healthcare workforce.

Health Equity Learning Network

In 2023, the NGA Center convened states to discuss approaches and communication strategies regarding health equity. In 2024, the NGA Center will facilitate a learning network of states and territories interested in advancing their health equity goals.

Healthcare Delivery Library

Associations Release Roadmap on Strategies for Countering Opioid Misuse in Correctional Settings

As opioid overdoses continue to claim tens of thousands of American lives each year, the National Governors Association (NGA) and the American Correctional Association (ACA) released a roadmap outlining strategies ...

Expanding Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Corrections and Community Settings

This roadmap highlights existing state efforts and serves as a policy development tool for Governors and state officials seeking to improve coordination and bolster existing efforts across state agencies to ...

A Case Study Of The Michigan Coronavirus Task Force On Racial Disparities

This case study draws its key findings from the Michigan Coronavirus Racial Disparities Interim Report and other sources to explore Michigan’s approach, key features, results to date, and lessons learned ...

Maternal and Child Health Update 2020

The Maternal and Child Health Update includes findings from a survey of senior state and territory health officials regarding MCH policy topics. Questions are modified from year to year to ...

The Future of State Telehealth Policy

This paper summarizes the types of telehealth policy flexibilities provided by states and the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic and longer-term considerations for Governors regarding the impact of such ...

Information Systems and Data Flow for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration

The paper discusses systems and data flow implications for vaccine allocation, distribution, administration, tracking, and reporting, including a visual depiction of the various information systems and roles of key entities ...

Informing Health Care Workforce Policy by Leveraging Data: A Toolkit for States

By collecting standardized information on licensed health care professionals, states can streamline health care workforce data collection and analysis to address key policy questions and improve health care access and ...

Supporting State Behavioral Health Systems During COVID-19 Response and Recovery

This paper identifies for Governors the key issues that are currently challenging state behavioral health systems, along with actions that state agencies may consider to support and sustain behavioral health ...

Understanding the Effects of Medicaid Innovation

Considerations for Evaluating State Medicaid Policies (View/Download) Executive Summary Section 1115 Medicaid demonstrations are important vehicles for experimenting with new Medicaid policies. Rigorous evaluations of these policies, if done well, ...