Highlighted Research
Highlighted Research
Below are some of the issue areas that our faculty are currently researching and some of their related publications.
Budget Reconciliation and Threats to Medicaid
On July 4th, the President signed into law a budget reconciliation bill that will make dramatic changes to health care financing in the U.S., specifically the financing of the Medicaid program. Throughout the legislative process, Hirsh Policy & Law and other HPM Faculty have produced a number of impactful articles detailing the impacts of this legislation.
Contributions from Hirsh Policy & Law and Other HPM Faculty
*By category in reverse chronological order
How Medicaid Built Community Health Centers and Health Centers Returned the Favor, July 31, 2025
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, J.D. & Feygele Jacobs, DrPH
Publication: Health Affairs Forefront
Summary: In this Health Affairs Forefront piece, Sara Rosenbaum and Feygele Jacobs reflect on the 60 year relationship between Medicaid and community health centers to form the backbone of health care for the underserved today in the United States.
How Medicaid and SNAP Cutbacks in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Would Trigger Big and Bigger Job Losses Across States, June 23, 2025
Author(s): Leighton Ku, PhD; Kristine Namhee Kwon; Maddie Krips; Taylor Gorak; & Joseph Cordes
Publications: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: The authors use CBO estimates, alongside current Medicaid and SNAP data, to estimate the economic impacts of proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in 2029, when the Medicaid provisions from budget reconciliation are fully implemented.
Reducing Medicaid Churn: Policies to Promote Stable Health Coverage and Access to Care, June 11, 2025
Author(s): MaryBeth Musumeci, J.D.; Caitlin Murphy; Elizabeth Leiser; Hannah Silverman; & Kian Azimpoor
Publication: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: Medicaid churn is a common phenomenon for beneficiaries and can cause major disruptions in access to care, as well as increase administrative burden on states. In this article, the authors scanned state policy databases to examine the factors that contribute to Medicaid churning and identify potential policy solutions to mitigate churn.
House SNAP Cuts Would Further Endanger Medicaid for Disabled People, Older Adults, June 3, 2025
Author(s): Alison Barkoff, J.D. & Leighton Ku, PhD
Publication: Health Affairs Forefront
Summary: This article examines the impact of a House proposal that would require states to partially fund SNAP in their state, a program that has historically been fully federally funded, and how older adults and disabled individuals are likely to be disproportionately impacted by this policy change.
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, J.D.; Feygele Jacobs, DrPH; & Kay Johnson
Publication: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: The authors estimate coverage losses and financial impacts on community health centers and their patients.
Deep Medicaid Spending Cuts Put Health Care Coverage at Risk for One of Five Enrolled Children, May 5, 2025
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, J.D.; Feygele Jacobs, DrPH; Maddie Krips; Kay Johnson; & Mandar Bodas
Publication: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: In this article, the authors detail the ways that children receive coverage and how potential changes to Medicaid would impact children’s insurance coverage.
Author(s): Leighton Ku, PhD; Taylor Gorak; Kristine Namhee Kwon; Maddie Krips; Leticia Nketiah; & Joseph Cordes
Publication: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: The authors use economic modeling methods to estimate the state-level economic, employment, and budgetary impacts of implementing the proposed Medicaid work requirements on the national level.
Who’s Affected by Medicaid Work Requirements? It’s Not Who You Think, April 30, 2025
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, J.D.; Alison Barkoff, J.D.; Marc Cohen; & Jane Tavares
Publication: The Milbank Quarterly
Summary: This article examines who is most likely to be affected by proposed work requirements and the subsequent implications of this policy for the federal budget and insurance rates.
Limit Save Grow’ Medicaid Work Mandate Legislation: The Worst Way to Operationalize a Bad Policy, April 23, 2025
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, J.D. & Alexander Somodevilla
Publication: Health Affairs Forefront
Summary: The authors explore the 2023 House-passed “Limit Save Grow” Act to provide insights as to how Congress is likely to be thinking about work requirements during budget reconciliation. Throughout the article they explore previous proposals and case studies of states with existing work requirements to argue that work requirements are a bad policy that will have significant impacts throughout the U.S.
History Repeats? Faced with Medicaid Cuts, States Reduced Support for Older Adults and Disabled People, April 16, 2025
Author(s): Alison Barkoff, J.D.; Jessica Schubel; H. Stephen Kaye; Marc Cohen; Jane Tavares
Publication: Health Affairs Forefront
Summary: This article examines historical instances of funding pressures on states and how states reacted by altering Medicaid eligibility, benefits, and provider payments. In particular, the article focuses on the disproportionate impact on older adults and disabled people.
Additional Resource: Related state-level data
How Potential Federal Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP Could Trigger the Loss of a Million-Plus Jobs, Reduced Economic Activity, and Less State Revenue, March 25, 2025
Author(s): Leighton Ku, PhD; Kristine Namhee Kwon; Leticia Nketiah; Taylor Gorak; Maddie Krips; & Joseph Cordes
Publication: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: This article examines the impact of broad-based funding reductions in Medicaid and SNAP across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The results of their study found that proposed funding cuts would dramatically reduce state GDPs, lead to significant job losses, and yield a significant loss of state tax revenue.
The Cost of Eliminating the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, March 3, 2025
Author(s): Leighton Ku, PhD; Taylor Gorak; Kristine Namhee Kwon; Leticia Nketiah; & Joseph Cordes
Publication: The Commonwealth Fund
Summary: The enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs), a lifeline that ensures that Marketplace premiums are affordable to consumers, are set to expire in December 2025. This article examines the impact of losing the enhanced PTCs on uninsured rates, tax revenue, employment, and other economic indicators.
What Lies Ahead for Medicaid in Budget Reconciliation?, February 11, 2025
Author(s): Sara Rosenbaum, J.D. & Alison Barkoff, J.D.
Publication: Health Affairs Forefront
Summary: In this article, the authors provide insights into the budget reconciliation process and an overview of proposals that were being considered for inclusion in the reconciliation package.