Senior Fellow for Health Policy
Courtney E. Burke has served in a number of high-ranking positions in state government, healthcare organizations, and boards. Her positions have included chief operating and innovation officer at the Healthcare Association of New York State, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Albany Medical Center, New York State’s deputy secretary for health, commissioner of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and director of the Rockefeller Institute’s Health Policy Research Center.
Her accomplishments include helping hospitals across the state manage the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine roll out, obtaining grant funding to promote health equity efforts, securing a multi-billion dollar federal Medicaid waiver, obtaining significant federal funding to support people with disabilities to live in the community, and overseeing the development and implementation of strategic plans at several organizations. She currently serves on the boards of the State University of New York, The New York Health Foundation, the Center for Technology in Government’s Global Advisory Board, and she chairs New York State Autism Spectrum Advisory Board.
She has written research articles, book chapters and reviews, and op-eds on health policy matters. In 2010, she was honored as a “40 Under 40” from the Albany Business Review. She was also awarded as the “Public Official of the Year” from the New York State Rehabilitation Association in 2013, and as the “Health Consumer Champion” in 2015 from Health Care for All New Yorkers. She holds a master of science in health policy and management from the University at Albany and a BA in political science and journalism from the University of Connecticut.
Closing the Coverage Gap: Improving Access to Mental Health and Substance-Use Disorder Services
December 16, 2024
This report analyzes the options and opportunities that federal and state policymakers can use to improve insurance access and coverage for behavioral health services. Continue Reading...
The Last Bastion of Executive Authority? States’ Recent Uses of 1115 Medicaid Waivers
August 14, 2024
Senior Fellow for Health Policy Courtney Burke explores how Medicaid waivers act as a means for federal and state executives to shape healthcare and considers the ways that overturning Chevron may in turn shape their authority to do so. Continue Reading...
May 1, 2024
This blog outlines what the insurance marketplace looked like in New York State prior to the launch of the New York State of Health (NYSOH), the process that New York engaged in to launch the marketplace, the critical decisions that were made, and what practices may be instructive for other states. Continue Reading...
What We’re Watching in New York State’s FY25 Budget
March 28, 2024
Rockefeller Institute researchers highlight some key issues in different areas of the NYS FY 2025 budget that intersect with their research in healthcare, education, fiscal analysis, cannabis policy, and environmental issues. Continue Reading...
How Big is Too Big? Reflections on the Recent UnitedHealth Group, Change Healthcare Cyberattack
March 12, 2024
The cyberattack on Change Healthcare just a month after its acquisition by UnitedHealth Group surfaces some important questions for policymakers. Chief among them: are such consolidations improving or hampering health outcomes for patients? Continue Reading...
The Healthcare Industry Mega Trend to Watch in 2024
January 17, 2024
This blog finds that the healthcare industry can be divided into three groups—“Today” entities, “Tomorrow” entities, and “Striving Survivors”—that all face different challenges in the evolving healthcare landscape. Continue Reading...
Ep. 84. The Healthcare Mega Trend to Watch in 2024
Policy Outsider dives deep into the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare. Rockefeller Institute’s Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Courtney Burke, follows up on her latest blog, “The Healthcare Industry Mega Trend to Watch in 2024: 'Today' and 'Tomorrow' Players and the Emergence of the 'Striving Survivors.'” Continue Reading...
An Overview of New York’s 1115 Medicaid Research and Demonstration Waiver Amendment
January 11, 2024
This blog focuses on the proposed amendment to New York’s federal Medicaid 1115 Research & Demonstration Waiver. Continue Reading...
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Considerations for Policymakers
November 28, 2023
This piece focuses on some of the uses of AI in healthcare and provides broader considerations for policymakers as they seek to promote innovation while also protecting against unintended consequences. Continue Reading...
October 4, 2023
This brief explores emerging models of care for individuals with complex medical, behavioral, and social needs. Continue Reading...
Ep. 77. School-Based Health Centers
September 12, 2023
Rockefeller Institute of Government Senior Fellow for Health Policy Courtney Burke interviews Dr. Viju Jacob, a Bronx-based pediatric specialist who works for Urban Health Plan, and Ronda Kotelchuk, founder of the Primary Care Development Corporation and current chair of the New York State Foundation for School-Based Health Centers to learn more about these centers, the types of services they provide, how the services are funded, and what their future might look like. Continue Reading...
A Mid-Year Update on 2023 Healthcare Trends
July 10, 2023
This blog looks at how the healthcare trends we identified at the start of 2023 are evolving. Continue Reading...
Ep. 73. Investing in New York’s Mental Health Services
June 13, 2023
Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow for Health Policy Courtney Burke and New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan discuss New York State's $1 billion investment for mental health services and outline what policies and programs will be enabled by the new funding. Continue Reading...
Maternal Mortality in the US: A Huge but Preventable Problem
April 11, 2023
The US maternal mortality rate is more than triple the rate of other developed countries but there are practical interventions and solutions available for some of the 60 to 80 percent of maternal deaths considered "preventable." Continue Reading...
Ep. 67. Unwind: The End of Continuous Coverage for Medicaid
March 21, 2023
Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy at the Rockefeller Institute of Government discusses New York's approach to unwinding the automatic, continuous health coverage provisions that have been in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Continue Reading...
Truly Giving Your Heart (or Kidney) on Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2023
With the signing of the Living Donor Support Act, New York State is the first state in the nation to make significant strides toward providing support that can eliminate some of the financial barriers that may deter organ donation. Continue Reading...
Ep. 65. A Master Plan for Aging
February 8, 2023
Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, and Adam Herbst, deputy commissioner for the Office of Aging and Long-term Care at the Department of Health, discuss the process of developing New York's Master Plan for Aging. Continue Reading...
Top Health Trends for State Health Policymakers to Watch in 2023
January 26, 2023
The third part in this three-part blog series on trends in healthcare and health policy focuses on health equity, quality, and modes of service delivery. Continue Reading...
Top Health Trends for State Health Policymakers to Watch in 2023
January 18, 2023
The second part in this three-part blog series on trends in healthcare and health policy focuses on internal industry economic trends. Continue Reading...
Governor Hochul’s Bold Plan for Mental Health: Staffing Will Be a Key to Success
January 12, 2023
As New York works to implement the governor’s bold plan to address the mental health needs in the state, policymakers should consider the growing body of research and evidence from other states addressing workforce shortages in this important sector. Continue Reading...
Top Health Trends for State Health Policymakers to Watch in 2023
January 9, 2023
The first part in this three-part blog series on trends in healthcare and health policy focuses on broad workforce, economic, and health policy shifts. Continue Reading...
Ep. 64. How Does New York’s Pending Medicaid Waiver Address Health Equity?
January 4, 2023
The State's Acting Medicaid Director, Amir Bassiri, and Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow for Health Policy Courtney Burke discuss how the waiver works, the goals the waiver seeks to accomplish, strategies for achieving those goals, and a vision for the future of Medicaid. Continue Reading...
Health Reform: States Move Forward with Implementation
January 15, 2011
A debate over whether to repeal the health reform law enacted last year is going on now in the U.S. House of Representatives. Whatever the outcome, and despite legal challenges to the law, most states continue to move ahead with implementation, for a number of reasons. Continue Reading...
Health Reform: Unknown Future for Undocumented Immigrants
December 15, 2010
Undocumented immigrants are explicitly excluded from many provisions in the health reform legislation passed in 2010. States will need to find ways to reimburse medical providers for their uncompensated care to them. Continue Reading...
Uncertain Hospital Payments Pose Risk
October 15, 2010
Federal payments to states to cover some uncompensated hospital care costs will be phased out under health reform. Much needs to be learned about these payments' role in the health care system — before the money is gone. Continue Reading...
Rx for Medicaid: The Right Dose of Oversight
October 14, 2010
A major change to Medicaid is underway in New York, as administration of the health insurance program moves from counties to the state. Given the breadth and cost of Medicaid in New York, this is big news. But officials also need to evaluate how the change affects access to benefits. Continue Reading...
New York’s Health Care Spending: Getting What We Pay For?
March 13, 2010
New York spends more than any other state on Medicaid. That's over $51 billion under Gov. Paterson's proposed 2010-2011 budget. But are we getting what we pay for? Taxpayers often fund expensive procedures, in expensive settings, for preventable diseases. Continue Reading...
Obama’s Health-Insurance Reversal
September 16, 2009
In his speech on health care reform, President Obama expressed support for a mandate that everyone have health insurance. That was a switch from his position during the presidential campaign. What would such a mandate mean for health-care reform, and for states? Continue Reading...
Playing Ball With a Full Team: States and Federal Health Reform
August 16, 2009
“Frenetic” could describe the pace with which congressional committees have made deals to advance health reform. Now that August is here, members of Congress can take time to reflect on what is really needed. An important consideration is the role states will play on the health reform team. Continue Reading...
Using Medicaid to Pay for Nursing Home Care
April 8, 2009
Critics of the Medicaid program say wealthy individuals transfer assets unfairly, to shift nursing home costs to taxpayers. An Institute study does not conclusively measure such abuse. But among New York counties, there is a dramatic variation in the number of Medicaid applications denied due to asset transfers. That raises important questions. Continue Reading...
Health Care Reform: Thinking Long-Term
March 16, 2009
With the aging of the baby boom generation and a growing federal deficit that is largely driven by health-related programs, issues surrounding long-term care should be front and center in discussions about health reform. For decades, states have been experimenting with ways to improve long-term care quality and reduce its costs. State innovations could serve as models for nationwide reforms. Continue Reading...
