Health Advocacy and Policy
For everyone in America to have the chance to live as healthy a life as possible, we need public policies that not only maximize access to affordable, quality healthcare, but also work to elevate communities and dismantle systemic barriers to wellbeing.
In the nation’s capital and at the state and local level, we use our knowledge and the expertise of our partners to provide policymakers and others with analysis, evidence, and potential approaches. We fund research, provide resources like nonpartisan analyses, participate in convenings, coalitions, and briefings to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
Policy Brief Library
Across our work, we leverage decades of research to assist policymakers in efforts to safeguard and improve health in the communities they serve. We support the translation of nonpartisan research and evidence into health policy briefs, including assessments and recommendations on policies that foster better health.. These briefs strive to explain key policy issues in a concise, easily digestible format.
How Does Medical Debt Affect U.S. Families?
How Will the Changing Federal Policy Landscape Affect Hospitals?
Nearly Half of Working-Age Adults Struggled to Afford Healthcare in 2025
Policies for Action
Policies for Action (P4A) is a signature research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation administered through the national coordinating center at the Urban Institute. This program funds research that identifies policies, laws, and other regulatory tools that can be leveraged to help achieve health and racial equity.
Latest Regulatory Comments
When given the opportunity to publicly comment on proposed policies and regulations that coincide with our focus areas, RWJF provides data and evidence to decisionmakers.
- Comments from Richard Besser, MD, on Health Insurance Reform 10/02/2026
- Comments from Richard Besser, MD, on Vaccination Classification Recommendations 09/18/2026
- Comments from Richard Besser, MD, on Medicaid Work Requirements Interim Final Rule 08/03/2026
- Comments from Richard Besser, MD, on OMB’s Proposed Rule to End Nonpartisan Federal Grantmaking Process 07/13/2026
- Comments From Richard Besser, MD, on Proposed Rule to Exclude Families with Mixed-Immigration Status from Critical Housing Support 04/21/2026
- Philanthropies Focused on Health Respond to Department of Education’s Proposed Regulations to Define “Professional” Degree 03/02/2026
- Comments From Richard Besser, MD, on HHS Proposed Rule to Prohibit Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care for Minors Under Medicaid and CHIP 02/13/2026
- Comments From Richard Besser, MD, on HHS Proposed Rule to Prohibit Gender-Affirming Care for Minors in Hospitals Participating in Medicare and Medicaid 02/13/2026
- Comments From Richard Besser, MD, on the HHS Office for Civil Rights Proposed Rule on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability 01/20/2026
- Comments from Richard Besser, MD, on FDA’s Proposed Rule to Reduce Nicotine in Certain Tobacco Products 09/15/2025
Related Content
We are committed to advancing the policies, practices, and systems changes that can dismantle structural barriers to wellbeing, especially racism. We take the long view and focus on efforts that have a lasting impact on systemic, generational change.
How Equity Strategies Can Make Healthcare Better for Everyone
Everyone wants high quality, respectful, and affordable healthcare. When doctors and hospitals seek to reduce racial disparities in health, they often fix persistent problems that affect all patients. This brief includes evidence and examples that demonstrate how equity strategies lead to better care for everyone.