Project Summary:
Wisconsin’s healthcare system is facing increasing strain from converging policy, market, and demographic pressures. Ongoing changes to Medicaid eligibility and financing, uncertainty surrounding safety-net programs, and rising healthcare costs are contributing to coverage instability and financial stress for both patients and providers. These challenges are particularly acute in vulnerable and rural communities, where reliance on public programs is high. At the same time, health systems are navigating workforce shortages, service line reductions, and growing expectations to deliver high-value, efficient care. Together, these factors are exacerbating disparities in access and outcomes and underscore the urgent need for rigorous, policy-relevant evidence to guide decisions at the clinical, system, and state levels. This project will establish a Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) Program of Research within MCW’s Institute for Health & Humanity (IHH). The Program will bring together specialized faculty, build shared analytic infrastructure, and generate a cohesive portfolio of policy-relevant research directly aligned with AHW’s mission to improve the health of Wisconsin residents. The Program pursues two integrated aims: building the institutional infrastructure and expertise necessary to conduct rigorous health economics and policy research; and generating a sustained, externally fundable portfolio of policy-relevant studies on access, health system efficiency, economic evaluation of clinical technologies, and equity in care delivery across Wisconsin and beyond. Expected outcomes include growth in external funding, peer-reviewed publications, and actionable evidence that health system leaders and state policymakers can use to improve care for Wisconsin's residents, with a special focus on Medicaid beneficiaries, rural populations, and other vulnerable groups.