Dear Colleague:
During the last decade, a strong economy allowed states to expand health
coverage to more of their residents and improve the quality of care provided in
public programs. While the states' current fiscal crises most likely preclude
any major efforts for the time being, three new Commonwealth Fund reports by
Sharon Silow-Carroll and colleagues at the Economic and Social Research
Institute (ESRI) describe a range of models for expanding insurance coverage and
improving care that states might want to consider once their economic and fiscal
outlook brightens.
- Expanding Health Insurance Coverage: Creative State Solutions for
Challenging Times. The authors draw lessons from 10 states that have
made substantial progress in expanding coverage, as well as 20 states that
have received federal HRSA grants to prepare for future expansion efforts.
Common to many of the "creative solutions" is an emphasis on collecting
state-specific data on uninsured populations, building public/private
partnerships, and creating a common enrollment process for all state coverage
programs.
http://www.cmwf.org/publist/publist2.asp?CategoryID=4
- Building Quality into RIte Care: How Rhode Island Is Improving
Health Care for Its Low-Income Populations. This in-depth case study
spotlights the different tack taken by Rhode Island, which has been able to
lower overall health costs by improving the quality of care in its public
insurance programs. The state extended family planning and primary care
benefits to Medicaid women for two years after they give birth, a move that
has resulted in a reduction in short birth intervals--which have been linked
to low birth weight and premature births--as well as a substantial reduction
in costs.
http://www.cmwf.org/publist/publist2.asp?CategoryID=4
- Assessing State Strategies for Health Coverage Expansion: Profiles
of Arkansas, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Utah, and Vermont. This
Web-only publication examines in detail six state initiatives from around the
country undertaken to maximize health insurance coverage.
http://www.cmwf.org/publist/publist2.asp?CategoryID=4
Additional ESRI studies of states' coverage expansion efforts are also
available through The Commonwealth Fund's website, www.cmwf.org. They include:
#587 Assessing State Strategies for Health Coverage Expansion: Summary of
Case Studies of Oregon, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Georgia (Nov. 2002)
#577 Toward Comprehensive Health Coverage for All: Summaries of 20 State
Planning Grants from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (Nov.
2002)
#565 Assessing State Strategies for Health Coverage Expansion: Case Studies
of Oregon, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Georgia (Nov. 2002).
Visit the Fund's website (http://www.cmwf.org/) to read, download, or order
reports from The Commonwealth Fund. You can also order reports by calling
toll-free 1-888-777-2744 or by sending an e-mail to [log in to unmask]
