Policy & Practice | Fall 2025

tate human services workers are unsung heroes. Every day, they support people in crisis and serve our communities across the nation. Yet, these public servants face UNSUNG HEROES Delivering sustainable results for agencies and the communities they serve S relentless pressure: do more with limited resources, implement complex requirements with outdated technology, navigate an ever-changing landscape, and keep pace despite shrinking budgets and chronic staff shortages. The result? Frustration for families in need, burnout for workers, and persis tent inefficiency in our support systems. It doesn’t have to be this way. State-based health insurance exchanges have demonstrated vastly dif ferent results for both consumers and staff. Many of the processes that make state-based exchanges so successful could be applied to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and human services programs as well. By Stephanie Bell

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Fall 2025 Policy & Practice