Conference on Solving the Problem of New York State’s Uninsured

Approximately 2.5 million New Yorkers lacked health insurance in 2007 according to estimates from the United Hospital Fund, a New York City-based health policy center.

In an attempt to offer solutions to this issue, the Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. issued a white paper entitled “Rx NY” that analyzed reform proposals under debate in New York and offered market-driven recommendations for reform. This white paper served as the background paper for two conferences convened by the Manhattan Institute. In the first of two grants from the New York Health Foundation’s Coverage Consortium initiative, the Manhattan Institute convened two conferences that featured health policy professionals who fostered debate and discussion about the role of market-based strategies in increasing access to coverage.

This project was part of a larger NYHealth Coverage Consortium that funded 10 grants to seven universities, policy institutes, and community agencies across the State, supporting projects that could inform State health reform efforts, offer ways to streamline enrollment in public programs, significantly reduce costs and improve quality, and test ideas for expanding coverage among small employers, sole proprietors, and self-employed people.