Expanding Health Care Coverage

Grantee Name

Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Mailman School of Public Health

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Publication Date

June 2011

Grant Amount

$181,073

Grant Date:

October 1, 2007—June 2, 2009

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

Proposals for increasing coverage had been offered, but needed to be analyzed for their responsiveness to New York’s health care system, their costs and consequences, and their acceptance by the public. The staff at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health examined the unique features of health care delivery in New York State and developed alternative strategies for expanding coverage–drawing heavily on public input–so that lawmakers can choose from a comprehensive menu of choices.

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.

Read an NYHealth special report that contains a summary of findings from this consortium.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Analyzed and modeled five insurance expansion approaches—one single payer, three incremental, and one market-based.
  • Analyzed transcripts of public testimony on three proposals under consideration by State officials.
  • Conducted a Web-based survey on whether New York differs from other states in: demographics; economics; governance; hospital systems; physicians/medical practice; and insurance products.

Read the reports associated with this grant: