title: Foundation's consumer advocacy health reform initiative strengthened groups' effectiveness.
abstract: Private foundations may hesitate to fund consumer advocacy for enacting and implementing health reform because the effects are hard to measure, and because they are concerned that funds will be used for lobbying activities that are prohibited by federal tax rules governing private philanthropy. Mathematica Policy Research evaluated a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative supporting state consumer health advocacy networks. During the three-year grant period, most networks coalesced and improved their ability to advocate effectively. A majority of state policy makers reported that consumers became more involved and effective in shaping health policy, and many wanted consumer advocates to remain involved in public debates on implementing federal health reform. The evaluation shows that targeted investments by foundations to strengthen consumer groups' ability to advocate effectively can help ensure that their voice is heard in critical policy debates.
authors: Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. dstrong@mathematica-mpr.com
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Strong
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Lipson
authors: Todd
authors: T
authors: Honeycutt
authors: Jung
authors: J
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D003625:Data Collection; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005582:Foundations; D018166:Health Care Reform; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D014481:United States