Expanding Health Care Coverage

By

Community Service Society

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Date

January 1, 2012

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This Community Service Society report, supported by NYHealth, outlines the coverage benefits for individuals and the cost savings for the State of establishing a state-run Basic Health Plan (BHP). In addition to providing more affordable coverage to nearly half a million New Yorkers, a BHP could also help some 100,000 uninsured residents gain access to insurance.

The Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) constitutes a historic opportunity for New York State to offer health coverage to nearly 2.6 million uninsured New Yorkers. One provision of the ACA allows states to establish a BHP, an option that can provide affordable, comprehensive coverage for low-income people.

The report examines the implications of offering a BHP in New York. Specifically, it describes: the amount of Federal funding that would be available; the take-up rate by various eligible population groups; the cost of offering a comprehensive public look-alike product; the types of plan options the State could potentially offer; and the impact the establishment of a BHP would have on New York’s Exchange and the rates of the uninsured upon the full implementation of the ACA in 2014.