The Issue
The Herndon Alliance is a nationwide non-partisan coalition of more than 100 minority, faith, labor, advocacy, business, and healthcare provider organizations. The Herndon Alliance is continually developing initiatives to maintain a new, values-driven, health justice majority supporting the goal of quality, affordable health care for all.

The Challenge
The Herndon Alliance undertook an ambitious series of projects to study the underlying values held by various groups of Americans, identify supporting constituencies, and create initiatives that connect those constituencies with the goal of achieving affordable health care for all people in America by increasing the demand for change in a majority of Americans. Although efforts to achieve universal health care have been stymied in the past, with a new Presidential Administration, Americans now have a unique opportunity to make significant changes in the health care system.

The Outcome
With the help of Lake Research Partners, the Herndon Alliance created four strategic initiatives that are now being used by partner organizations to redefine the health care debate at national, state, and local levels. The influence of this work can be seen in President Obama’s health care proposals and strategy as well as the work of state and local advocates across the country who, after years of frustration, are now making progress toward the goal of quality, affordable health care for all.

The Methodology
Lake Research Partners conducted focus groups and national surveys that helped the Herndon Alliance break out of the existing health care reform debate and create a roadmap to a health values majority. Our research explored the values that activate and build support for a set of new health reform initiatives, as well as identified message themes that resonate. We continue to conduct qualitative and quantitative research to inform campaigns such as The Cost of Doing Nothing and Health System Change.

The Team
Lake Research Partners (Celinda Lake, David Mermin, Rick Johnson, Dan Spicer, Danna Basson, John Norris, Zach Young)
Herndon Alliance