Building coalitions: lessons from the Alliance for a Healthy New England

Official pronouncements that the U.S. economy is in recession have confirmed the bad news that health care advocates began experiencing months ago. State budgets are deep in deficit. Medicaid programs are in jeopardy. And making the case for expanded health care access now seems harder than ever. There is good news, though: in the Alliance for a Healthy New England, health advocates may have found a new funding mechanism. Built on a broad-based coalition model, the Alliance is seeking to raise tobacco taxes in all six New England states, with the revenue generated to be used for tobacco control and expanded health care access. This States of Health looks at how the diverse organizations that make up the Alliance are learning to work together--and why working together is so valuable.