Policy Research Grants

NIHCM Foundation supports innovative, solutions-oriented, investigator-initiated policy research that builds the evidence base and has the potential to inform strategies that improve the affordability, accessibility, and quality of health care in the US. Funded projects should produce new insights, data analysis, and evidence that are relevant to health plans, policymakers, health care delivery systems, and/or related stakeholders.

This year, we are inviting letters of inquiry for projects that examine the key drivers and implications of rising health care spending, with a focus on costs, affordability, quality, and access. We are particularly seeking solutions-oriented health care research that evaluates or informs public and private sector strategies and policies, including at the state and federal levels. All proposals should be geared towards improving the value of health care in the US. 

Funding requests should align with one or more of the following issue areas: 

  • Health Care Costs & Quality: Understanding the key drivers of rising health care spending and the implications for access to care, quality, and health outcomes. The effectiveness of state and federal policies implemented to control costs, as well as interventions aimed at reducing low value care.
  • Health Care Consolidation: How health care competition, consolidation, and ownership across the health care system are impacting costs, access, provider workforce dynamics, quality of care, and patient outcomes.
  • Artificial Intelligence: The impacts of artificial intelligence in health care, including opportunities for cost savings, reduced administrative burden, increased access to care, and improved health outcomes, as well as the potential challenges around spending, increased coding intensity, and quality control.
  • Prescription Drugs & Technology: The implications of technology and drug prices on spending, utilization, and health outcomes, and the effectiveness of public and private sector policies and innovations to improve patient outcomes and access, while managing the cost of care.
  • Rural Health: Challenges and opportunities facing rural health systems and communities around health care costs, access, consolidation, and quality. The impact of state and federal policies and innovations to improve health care in rural areas, including telehealth, workforce development, and care coordination and delivery.
  • Maternal Health: Understanding the drivers of — and disparities in — maternal health (including postpartum) and infant health outcomes and how public and private sector policies and initiatives impact maternal health care delivery, access to high-value care, health outcomes, and costs.

Application Information

We are now accepting letters of inquiry for the 2026-2027 funding cycle of NIHCM Foundation's investigator-initiated Policy Research Grant program!

NIHCM is making a total of $500,000 available this cycle, with most individual grants awarded in the $50,000 range.
 

Program Timeline:

  • Interested researchers must submit a brief letter of inquiry (LOI) outlining their study idea by 5:00 PM EDT on June 8, 2026. Applications are welcome at any time prior to that deadline. LOIs must conform to the required structure and must be submitted using NIHCM’s online entry system (see below).
  • Full (10-page) proposals will be invited from a small number of applicants in early August 2026.
  • NIHCM will notify grant winners in December 2026, for project start dates as early as January 2027.

 

Please contact Cait Ellis at cellis@nihcm.org with any questions related to specific grant entries, and Mikayla Thompson at mthompson@nihcm.org with any technical questions.

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Yasin Civelek, Weill Medical College

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2026

The Impact of Insurance Coverage in Adulthood on Later-Life Health Care Spending: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion

Yasin Civelek, Weill Medical College

Tinglong Dai, Johns Hopkins University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2026

Ambient AI Documentation and Billing Intensity: Evidence from Commercial Claims

Tinglong Dai, Johns Hopkins University

Sih-Ting Cai, Indiana University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2026

GLP-1 Adoption and Its Downstream Effects on Health Spending and Utilization Among Privately Insured Adults with Diabetes and Obesity

Sih-Ting Cai, Indiana University

Roslyn C Murray, Brown University School of Public Health

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - January 31, 2026

Evaluating the Impact of State Cost Growth Benchmarks on Hospital Spending

Roslyn C Murray, Brown University School of Public Health

James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2026

Price Benchmarks and Limits for Biologics and Specialty Drugs

James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2026

The Effect of Ambient AI Scribes on Productivity, Coding Intensity, and Spending

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

Elizabeth Salazar, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2027

COMPASS – Creating Optimal Markets for Perinatal Analysis of Service Systems amid concentration from hospital closures

Elizabeth Salazar, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Atul Gupta, University of Pennsylvania

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - June 30, 2027

The Impact of Private Equity Ownership on Medical Technologies

Atul Gupta, University of Pennsylvania

Ambar La Forgia, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - July 01, 2027

The Impact of Hospital Mergers and Acquisitions on Consumer Finances

Ambar La Forgia, University of California, Berkeley

Aaron P Mitchell, Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2026 - December 31, 2026

Quantifying Growth in Provider Billing Margins on Cancer Drugs

Aaron P Mitchell, Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research

Irene Papanicolas, Brown University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - December 31, 2025

Quantifying the Population Health Impact of New Drugs Adopted by Medicare

Irene Papanicolas, Brown University

Cynthia Chih-Ying Li, University of Texas Medical Branch

Policy Research Grants

April 01, 2025 - March 31, 2026

Patient Outcomes and Cost Variations across Different Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice Levels

Cynthia Chih-Ying Li, University of Texas Medical Branch

So-Yeon Kang, Georgetown University School of Health and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - December 31, 2025

Value-based Precision Medicine: Assessing the Financial Implications of Medicare’s Coverage Policy for Advanced Genetic Testing

So-Yeon Kang, Georgetown University School of Health and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Ann Annis, Michigan State University

Policy Research Grants

May 01, 2025 - April 30, 2026

Impact of Integrated Primary Care and Mental Health Models of Care on Health Services Utilization and Costs for Medicaid Beneficiaries with Mental Health Conditions or Substance Use Disorders

Ann Annis, Michigan State University

Tuba Tuncel, Florida State University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - September 30, 2026

Cost of Product Discontinuations in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Tuba Tuncel, Florida State University

Donglan Stacy Zhang, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - December 31, 2025

Impact of Medicare Advantage Value-Based Contracts on Adoption of Remote Patient Monitoring for Hypertension Management and Patient Outcomes

Donglan Stacy Zhang, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine

Michael DiStefano, University of Colorado

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - December 31, 2025

The Rise of Compounded GLP-1 Weight Loss Medications: A Landscape Analysis of the Direct-To-Consumer Market

Michael DiStefano, University of Colorado

Kate Bundorf, Duke University

Policy Research Grants

January 15, 2025 - January 14, 2026

Hospital Competition, Vertical Integration, and Participation in Value-Based Payment Programs

Kate Bundorf, Duke University

Josh Feng, University of Utah

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - January 31, 2027

Spillovers from Commercial Drug Coverage to Medicare Utilization

Josh Feng, University of Utah

Christopher Whaley, Brown University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2025 - December 31, 2025

Using Transparency in Coverage Data to Understand Health Care Price Variation

Christopher Whaley, Brown University

John X Jiang, Michigan State University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Hospital Price Transparency Rule in Price Reduction

John X Jiang, Michigan State University

Sri Lekha Tummalapalli, Weill Cornell

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

Impact of Capitation Payment Models on Kidney Health Outcomes

Sri Lekha Tummalapalli, Weill Cornell

Anna Zink, University of Chicago & Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

The Effect of AI-Enabled Clinical Software on Health Care Spending and Health Outcomes

Anna Zink, University of Chicago & Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

Niam Yaraghi, University of Miami/Brookings Institution

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

A Double-Edged Sword: Evaluating the Role of Telehealth Expansion and Contraction in the US Opioid Crisis

Niam Yaraghi, University of Miami/Brookings Institution

Yashaswini Singh, Brown University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

Spillover Effects of Private Equity Acquisitions of Physician Practices on Local Market Competitors: Implications for Access to Care

Yashaswini Singh, Brown University

Jane Zhu, Oregon Health & Science University

Policy Research Grants

June 01, 2024 - August 31, 2025

Private Equity’s Effects on Primary Care Practices Participating in Medicare Advantage

Jane Zhu, Oregon Health & Science University

Pragya Kakani, Weill Cornell Medicine & Luca Maini, Harvard Medical School

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

How Does Interchangeability Impact Biosimilar Adoption?

Pragya Kakani, Weill Cornell Medicine & Luca Maini, Harvard Medical School

James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 30, 2024

Market, Organizational, and Policy Drivers of Hospital Price Markups for Specialty Drugs

James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Jennifer Kao, University of California, Los Angeles

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2024 - December 31, 2024

New Uses of Existing Drugs: The Effects of FDA Regulation and Off-Label Drug Use on Incentives for Pharmaceutical Innovation

Jennifer Kao, University of California, Los Angeles

Zirui Song, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - December 31, 2023

In the Shadows of Trauma: The Economic and Clinical Impact of Childhood Firearm Injuries on Survivors and Family Members

Zirui Song, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital

Adrianna McIntyre, Harvard University

Policy Research Grants

February 01, 2023 - June 30, 2024

Evaluating Automatic Enrollment into Marketplace Coverage During the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Policy: a Two-State Study

Adrianna McIntyre, Harvard University

Meredith Matone, University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Policy Research Grants

March 01, 2023 - August 31, 2024

A State-wide Study of Childbirth-Related Opioid Exposure and Conversion to Postpartum High-Risk Opioid Use

Meredith Matone, University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Avik Roy, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP)

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - March 01, 2024

Debunking the Myth that High Drug Prices Accelerate Innovation

Avik Roy, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP)

Ola Abdelhadi, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - February 29, 2024

Increasing Private Equity Investment in Cancer Care: What is the Effect on Prices and Quality of Care?

Ola Abdelhadi, University of California, Berkeley

Bhaven N. Sampat, Arizona State University (formerly Columbia University)

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - June 30, 2023

Can Improving Pharmaceutical Patent Quality Promote Competition and Reduce Drug Prices?

Bhaven N. Sampat, Arizona State University (formerly Columbia University)

Chanup Jeung, University at Albany, State University of New York (formerly at University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - June 30, 2024

Increasing Access to Postpartum Mental Health Care via Telehealth: Evidence from Medicaid Coverage of Mental Health Services in Massachusetts

Chanup Jeung, University at Albany, State University of New York (formerly at University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

Dan Ly, University of California, Los Angeles & VA Greater Los Angeles

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - December 31, 2023

Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Timeliness of Diabetes Care

Dan Ly, University of California, Los Angeles & VA Greater Los Angeles

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - December 31, 2024

The Effect of Hospital Ransomware Attacks on Health Care Delivery and Patient Outcomes

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

S. Sean Tu, West Virginia University College of Law

Policy Research Grants

June 01, 2023 - May 31, 2024

Improving Competitive Drug Markets by Reviewing Patents

S. Sean Tu, West Virginia University College of Law

Colleen Carey, Cornell University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2023 - December 31, 2023

The Effects of Physicians’ Financial Transfers from Drug Firms on Prescribing of Physician-Administered Cancer Drugs

Colleen Carey, Cornell University

Wendy Brunner, Bassett Medical Center

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - December 31, 2022

Defining the Digital Divide: Implications for Improving Access to Care

Wendy Brunner, Bassett Medical Center

Mark Clapp, Massachusetts General Hospital

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Assessing Postpartum Care Among Medicaid Beneficiaries in an Era of Expanded Access and Telehealth Services

Mark Clapp, Massachusetts General Hospital

Alison Cuellar, George Mason University

Policy Research Grants

February 01, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Marginalized/Minoritized Communities, Health Equity and Medicaid Telehealth Policy

Alison Cuellar, George Mason University

Keith Marzilli Ericson, Boston University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - July 01, 2024

Redesigning Payment Policy for Physician-Administered Drugs

Keith Marzilli Ericson, Boston University

Vinu Ilakkuvan, PoP Health, LLC

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - December 31, 2022

Delivering Medicaid Mental Health Services and Supports in Schools

Vinu Ilakkuvan, PoP Health, LLC

Tim McDonald, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Can Medical Practices Afford to Increase Efficiency?

Tim McDonald, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - December 31, 2022

Making Primary Care Count: Intended and Unintended Consequences of the Evaluation & Management Payment Change

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota

James Roberts, Duke University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - December 31, 2023

Vertical Integration of Specialty Physician Practices and the Association with Private Equity Acquisition of Short-Term Acute Care Hospitals

James Roberts, Duke University

James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Provider Price Strategies and Insurer Counter-Strategies for Infused Drugs in Hospital and Independent Sites of Care

James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Katherine Bowman, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2022 - December 31, 2022

Forum on Traumatic Brain Injury

Katherine Bowman, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Jessica Cohen, Harvard University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2021 - June 30, 2022

Impact of Medicaid Provider Incentives for Postpartum LARC Provision on Postpartum Contraceptive Use

Jessica Cohen, Harvard University

Genevieve Kanter, University of Pennsylvania

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2021 - August 31, 2023

Medically Integrated Dispensing in Oncology

Genevieve Kanter, University of Pennsylvania

Tim Brown, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

May 01, 2021 - July 20, 2022

The Causal Effect of High-Quality Physician-Patient Relationships on Healthcare Costs and Outcomes: Differences by Race/Ethnicity and the Effect of Racial/Ethnic Concordance

Tim Brown, University of California, Berkeley

Jamie Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2021 - June 30, 2022

Price and Quality for Ambulatory Surgery: Differences Between Hospital-Based and Freestanding Centers

Jamie Robinson, University of California, Berkeley

Adam Sacarny, Columbia University

Policy Research Grants

March 01, 2021 - February 28, 2022

Nudging Providers to Curtail Dangerous Opioid Prescribing and Improve the Safety of the Health Care Delivery System

Adam Sacarny, Columbia University

Jane Zhu, Oregon Health and Science University

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2021 - January 31, 2023

Private Equity Acquisitions of Physician Medical Practices and Implications for Practice Patterns and Costs of Care

Jane Zhu, Oregon Health and Science University

Nicholas Tilipman, University of Illinois at Chicago

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2021 - August 31, 2022

Provider Market Power and Adverse Selection in Health Insurance Markets: Evidence from the California Benefits Exchange

Nicholas Tilipman, University of Illinois at Chicago

Aaron Mitchell, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2021 - December 31, 2022

Can Conflict of Interest with the Drug Industry Harm Patients?

Aaron Mitchell, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Maria Polyakova, Stanford University

Policy Research Grants

June 01, 2020 - July 31, 2021

Health and Economic Incidence of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Maria Polyakova, Stanford University

Amol Navathe, University of Pennsylvania

Policy Research Grants

June 01, 2020 - December 31, 2022

The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Care Spending and Practice Patterns

Amol Navathe, University of Pennsylvania

Coleman D. Drake, University of Pittsburgh

Policy Research Grants

March 01, 2020 - November 30, 2020

Nothing Matters: The Zero-Price Effect in the Individual Insurance Market

Coleman D. Drake, University of Pittsburgh

Principal Investigator: Russell J. Funk, University of Minnesota

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2020 - June 30, 2022

Competitive Dynamics of Physician Referrals in the Era of ACOs

Principal Investigator: Russell J. Funk, University of Minnesota

Principal Investigator: Josh Feng, University of Utah

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2020 - January 31, 2021

The Impact of Consolidation on Prescription Drug Pricing and Access

Principal Investigator: Josh Feng, University of Utah

Principal Investigator: Pierre Thomas Léger, University of Illinois at Chicago

Policy Research Grants

June 01, 2020 - August 31, 2022

Geographic Variation in Medicare and Commercial Spending

Principal Investigator: Pierre Thomas Léger, University of Illinois at Chicago

Jodi B. Segal, Johns Hopkins University

Policy Research Grants

January 06, 2020 - July 31, 2021

Variation Across Health Systems in the Overuse of Healthcare Resources by Older Adults in the United States

Jodi B. Segal, Johns Hopkins University

Sarah Axeen, University of Southern California

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2020 - April 30, 2021

Measuring the Value of Emergency Mental Health Care

Sarah Axeen, University of Southern California

Mei Kwong, Center for Connected Health Policy

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2020 - September 30, 2020

Policy Changes that Need to be Made for FQHCs to Utilize Telehealth to Address the Opioid Crisis

Mei Kwong, Center for Connected Health Policy

Ashvin Gandhi, University of California, Los Angeles

Policy Research Grants

January 01, 2020 - July 31, 2022

Bargaining and International Reference Pricing in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Ashvin Gandhi, University of California, Los Angeles