The enactment of ambitious health access reforms in Massachusetts and Vermont has ushered in a new wave of state coverage expansions, according to a Health Affairs web exclusive study published Jan. 29. The study identifies 39 states that have passed laws expanding access in at least one area since Massachusetts and Vermont enacted their reforms in 2006.
The researchers provide a comprehensive catalog of state coverage enactments in 2006 and 2007, the most common form of which was adding coverage for children: 26 states expanded children’s coverage, principally through reforms involving the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Eighteen states passed laws increasing the number of adults eligible for Medicaid and other public programs.
As of the end of 2007, no state had joined Massachusetts and Vermont in passing comprehensive reforms. All told, governors and key legislative leaders in at least 13 states other than Massachusetts and Vermont have proposed comprehensive reforms. The authors emphasize that, given the advantages enjoyed by Massachusetts and Vermont and the length of time it takes to develop and pass wide-ranging coverage expansions, “the lack of success to date for other states’ comprehensive reform efforts should not be surprising.” Read the abstract.
