The Governors Public Health Alliance. Credit: Adobe Stock
A group of Democratic governors has formed the Governors Public Health Alliance, a coalition that hopes to promote the kind of approach to public health programs that was in effect before 2025.
The launch of the alliances includes the governors of California, New York and 12 other U.S. states, along with the governor of the territory of Guam.
The launch does not include the Democratic leaders of nine other states, such as the governors of Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The District of Columbia also is missing.
None of the organizers are Republican or independent.
The alliance organizers are starting their initiative with help from GovAct, a group that seeks to serve as a support organization for governors who support positions such as protecting people's ability to use birth control.
Unlike the alliance, GovAct lists all 23 Democratic state governors as members. So far, all of the governors who have joined GovAct are Democrats, but the GovAct advisory board includes William Weld, a Republican who was governor of Massachusetts, and Marc Racicot, a Republican who served as governor of Montana and as chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Members' perspectives: California Gov. Gavin Newsom put out a press release describing the alliance as a "new non-partisan hub coordinating public health leadership across the country."
The alliance "will strengthen emergency preparedness, improve communication, share data and expertise, and ensure states and territories can respond quickly and consistently to emerging health threats," according to Newsom's release.
The launch of the alliance "comes on the heels of the Trump administration's dangerous misguidance on vaccine safety and efficacy," California officials said.
Illinois Gov. Jay Pritzker put out a release describing the alliance as a coalition of governors "committed to protecting their states from the Trump administration's erosion of trust and dismantlement of America's public health infrastructure."
"When the federal government abandons science for conspiracy theories, slashes Medicaid and undermines vaccine integrity, states must stand united to defend the facts," Pritzker said in a statement about the launch.
The backdrop: Many of the governors in the alliance have already been taking actions intended to protect Affordable Care Act major medical insurance standards and public health programs against major changes.
Newsom, for example, recently signed a bill that adds the federal Affordable Care Act preventive services benefits standards that were in effect Jan. 1, 2025, to state law.
What it means: The alliance is not talking about employer health benefits issues now, but it could become a vehicle for members to discuss proposals that could affect the benefits market.
The initial launch member list raises questions about how state benefits legislative initiatives will evolve.
The country could end up with states that adopt all alliance positions and a separate group of states that have Democratic governors but take a different path on some benefits issues.
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