History and Funders

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) was founded in 1995 with a major grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to respond to the dramatic expansion of managed care in Medicaid. Our job at the outset was to provide grant funding to identify and demonstrate best practices in Medicaid managed care.

Since its founding, the bulk of CHCS’ resources have been devoted to practical training and technical assistance to help states, health plans, providers, and consumer organizations improve the quality and cost effectiveness of publicly financed care for low-income populations, particularly people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Our national initiatives have progressed from individual health plan or state efforts focused on single diseases to multi-stakeholder collaboratives that address complex clinical, administrative, and financial challenges. CHCS’ work at the state-level informs national policy and supports Medicaid stakeholders in improving access, financing, and care delivery for the program’s 70 million beneficiaries.

Today, CHCS receives generous support from a broad array of national foundations, federal and state agencies, and corporate philanthropies committed to innovative solutions for publicly financed care. Following is a select list of our funders:                                                 

• The Annie E. Casey Foundation
• Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation 
• Blue Shield of California Foundation
• California Health Care Foundation
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• The Commonwealth Fund
• DentaQuest Foundation
• Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit
• New York State Health Foundation
• The Nicholson Foundation 
• Milbank Memorial Fund 
• Minnesota Department of Human Services 
• Oregon Health Authority 
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
• The SCAN Foundation
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration